Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Brownington’s best subject grade is an A− for history; its weakest is a D for walkability. Only 5 of Vermont’s 172 towns score lower on walkability. The median household income is $76K, and 22% of residents live below the poverty line. Only 6 of Vermont’s 172 towns score lower on health. Only 12 of Vermont’s 172 towns score lower on the outdoors. Brownington Village Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Brownington has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Brownington beats most towns.
In 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 Brownington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 65 in 1800, 1,042 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 4 maps from 1919 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Brownington, 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 Brownington.
The typical Brownington home is worth about $241,000, about the same as a year ago, 39% below the Vermont typical home. 81% of households own their home in Brownington, against 75% in Vermont’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Lake Region Union Elementary Middle School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brownington Central SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 113 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
Brownington’s average trip to work is 33 minutes, where Vermont’s towns sit at 23 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. 0.8% of working residents work locally in Brownington. Only 1 of the 72 Vermont towns we compare have a lower share of workers working from home than Brownington.
| Brownington | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 6% | 15% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.8% | 16% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Brownington has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Brownington’s July high is 77°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
16% of Brownington adults report frequent physical distress. Among 72 Vermont towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Brownington. 18% of Brownington adults report frequent mental distress.
| Brownington | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | Brownington | VT |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18% | 10.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.4% | 6.5% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 13.3% | 9.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2.2 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. No town among the 72 in Vermont we compare has a lower trail density than Brownington. The biggest park or preserve is Willoughby Falls Wildlife Management Area, at 191 acres.
| Brownington | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.7% | 14% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Willoughby Falls Wildlife Management Area | — | 191 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 2011, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Brownington.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Brownington. Close and well known come first.
12 mi TheatreHaskell Free Library and Opera House
6 mi LakeLake Willoughby
39 mi MountainMount Mansfield
20 mi Ski areaJay Peak Resort79 runs · 1,988 ft vertical
39 mi Ski areaStowe Mountain Resort144 runs · 2,390 ft vertical
36 mi Ski areaSmugglers' Notch Resort110 runs · 2,533 ft verticalHaskell Free Library and Opera House: Thomsonmg2000, CC0 · Lake Willoughby: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mount Mansfield: Original uploader was Calzarette (Joe Calzarette) at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Jay Peak Resort: Hanumanix at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Stowe Mountain Resort: Stevage, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Smugglers' Notch Resort: Jrclark (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Brownington; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Brownington residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
Where Brownington’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 notable people were born in Brownington.
Town in Vermont, United States
Brownington is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,042 as of the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 3.4 years of the area's median household income ($70,103 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
4 notable people were born here, including Portus Baxter and William Barstow Strong.
