Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Brattleboro grades D overall, ranked 66th of 71 in Vermont, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its police reported 74 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 95% of U.S. towns. The median household income is $58K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line. In its favor, CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 77% of the country. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns, with 19 places on the National Register. 52% of working residents work locally in Brattleboro, against 16% in Vermont’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Only 7 of Vermont’s 172 towns score higher on walkability. Its National Register listings include Creamery Covered Bridge and Union Station.
Where Brattleboro beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Creamery Covered Bridge
Its founding year, 1753, comes before those of 95% of the Vermont towns we grade with a known year. Its 19 National Register listings are more than in 94% of Vermont towns with a listing.
Census counts: 1,589 in 1790, 12,184 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1768 and 4 maps from 1891 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Vermont), ordered by how far Brattleboro is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Brattleboro, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Brattleboro.
Brattleboro draws workers from Hinsdale and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at 3 times the Vermont rate.
Its A for the outdoors ranks #3 of 71 in Vermont.
43 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. Brattleboro’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile. Retreat Farm, at 329 acres with 13.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Retreat Farm | 13.2 mi | 329 |
| 2. Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center | 1.2 mi | 95 |
| 3. Living Memorial Park | 0.9 mi | 76 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96. Two of its 12 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 418 | C+ |
| Brattleboro Union High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 705 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 6.2 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Vermont rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Reported crimes fell from 693 to 375 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Brattleboro is 6.2 per 1,000 residents. Brattleboro reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 95% report less. The property crime rate in Brattleboro is 25.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Brattleboro | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 25.2 per 1,000 residents | 13.6 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
9,339 jobs are based in Brattleboro, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Among 71 Vermont towns, just 7 have a lower median household income than Brattleboro. The top destinations are Keene (3%), Putney (2%) and Greenfield (2%). Half commute less than 4 miles.
| Brattleboro | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 8,416 U.S. towns with household incomes like Brattleboro’s, it is healthier than 97%, so its A− isn’t only a matter of income. Within Vermont it is less healthy than 64% of the 71 graded towns: Vermont sets a high bar.
27% of Brattleboro adults have obesity. Brattleboro beats the Vermont average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 30% of Brattleboro adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Brattleboro | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 76% | 79% |
| What stands out | Brattleboro | VT |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13% | 10.1% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 7% | 5.7% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 11.2% | 9.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Keene weather station, 17 miles away, records that 60 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 92% of Vermont places with climate records. The Keene weather station, 17 miles away, records that about 11 days a year reach 90°: fewer than most of the country, but more than 80% of Vermont places with climate records.
Brattleboro has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 81° and January nights drop to 13°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical value, about $319K, is 8% below its September 2024 peak.
The typical Brattleboro home is worth about $319,000, down 3.1% in a year, 19% below the Vermont typical home. 59% of households own their home in Brattleboro.
| Brattleboro | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,074 a month | $1,137 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
People 65 and older are 26% of residents (22% statewide). Brattleboro has lost 2.6% of its people since 2020, down to 11,872 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 47% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 44% across Vermont.
| Brattleboro | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 26% | 22% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 47% | 39% | 29% |
| Median age | 45.6 years | 43.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 19% | 18% | 22% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.7 points. Across Vermont, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Brattleboro | VT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.5% | 9.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.5% | 8.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.9% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.3% | 11.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.3% | 12.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.9% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.1% | 14.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15% | 13% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.5% | 8.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.4% | 5.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.3% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.6% | 15.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.3% | 8.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.2% | 25.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 24.4% | 18.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 2005, 50 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Brattleboro.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Brattleboro. Close and well known come first.
27 mi MountainMount Monadnock
31 mi MountainMount Greylock
39 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
31 mi MuseumClark Art Institute
16 mi Ski areaMount Snow119 runs · 1,648 ft vertical
22 mi Ski areaStratton Mountain Resort106 runs · 1,899 ft verticalMount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 3.0 · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · Clark Art Institute: Daderot, Public domain · Mount Snow: William J Sisti from Morristown, NJ, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Stratton Mountain Resort: Rudi Riet from Washington, DC, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Brattleboro
About 4 of every 100 Brattleboro residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
15.9% of the town is conserved land, across 11 parks and preserves.
19 places in Brattleboro on the National Register of Historic Places.
33 notable people were born in Brattleboro.
Municipality in Vermont, United States
Brattleboro (), originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, located about 10 miles (16 km) north of the Massachusetts state line at the confluence of Vermont's West River and the Connecticut River. With a 2022 Census population of 12,106, it is the most populous municipality abutting Vermont's eastern border with New Hampshire, which is the Connecticut River. The town has been important to the history of Vermont, acting as a gateway for trade on both the Connecticut River and subsequent road and train infrastructure. Moreover, the Whetstone Brook allowed the development of several mill industries that relied on water power. The town rose to national and i…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Brattleboro.
| Town | VT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brattleboro | #66 | D | C− | D | C+ | A− |
| Dummerston | — | — | C− | — | C+ | A− |
| Guilford | — | — | D | — | C+ | A− |
| Vernon | — | — | C+ | — | C+ | B+ |
| Marlboro | — | — | D− | — | C+ | A− |
Dummerston, Guilford, Vernon and Marlboro have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Dummerston, Guilford, Vernon and Marlboro report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Brattleboro with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Brattleboro grades D overall, better than 11% of U.S. towns and #66 of 71 in Vermont. It grades A− for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 4.4 years of the area's median household income ($72,217 across the Brattleboro, VT area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
33 notable people were born here, including JoJo and Peter Shumlin.
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