Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Brighton’s subject grades are an A for walkability and the outdoors and an A+ for history; the weakest is a D− for incomes. 22% of residents live below the poverty line in Brighton, against 9.5% in Vermont’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. No town in Vermont scores lower than Brighton on incomes. 39% of the land in Brighton is conserved, above both Vermont’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Island Pond Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Brighton's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 81% of U.S. towns. Brighton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Brighton beats most towns.
Island Pond Historic DistrictIn a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Vermont), ordered by how far Brighton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 144 in 1810, a peak of 2,280 in 1920, 1,157 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1926 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Brighton, 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 Brighton.
46 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Brighton Town Forest, at 524 acres. The trail density in Brighton is 0.9 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brighton State Park | 1.7 mi | 237 |
| 2. Brighton Town Forest | — | 524 |
| 3. Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge | — | 33 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Brighton School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 127 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
Brighton’s median rent is $775 a month. Among 72 Vermont towns, just 5 have a lower share of households owning their home than Brighton. The typical Brighton home is worth about $259,000, up 1.7% in a year, 34% below the Vermont typical home.
| Brighton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 51% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $775 a month | $1,135 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Among 72 Vermont towns, just 2 have a lower July high than Brighton. Brighton has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 4 of Brighton’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Brighton has added 132 jobs, to 324 in 2023. Only 2 of the 72 Vermont towns we compare have a higher average trip to work than Brighton.
| Brighton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 16% | 8% |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $80,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 60% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Brighton beats the Vermont average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 16% of Brighton adults report frequent physical distress. Only 1 of the 72 Vermont towns we compare have a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Brighton.
| Brighton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 16% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 15% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 19% | 25% |
| What stands out | Brighton | VT |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.7% | 76.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19% | 10.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Brighton. Close and well known come first.
10 mi LakeLake Willoughby
18 mi TheatreHaskell Free Library and Opera House
33 mi Ski areaJay Peak Resort79 runs · 1,988 ft vertical
15 mi Ski areaBurke Mountain Resort61 runs · 1,990 ft vertical
32 mi Theme parkSanta's Village
27 mi PlanetariumFairbanks Museum and PlanetariumLake Willoughby: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Haskell Free Library and Opera House: Thomsonmg2000, CC0 · Jay Peak Resort: Hanumanix at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Burke Mountain Resort: Patrick McCaffrey, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Santa's Village: Alex McLeod, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium: AlexiusHoratius, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Brighton; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Brighton residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
Town in Vermont, United States
Brighton is a town in Essex County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,157 at the 2020 census. Brighton is part of the Berlin, NH-VT Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
