Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Burlington's standout: few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. Overall it grades C+, 43rd of 71 graded towns in Vermont. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 86% of the country and it has 37 miles of trail. Its weakest subject is safety: it reports more crime per resident than 96% of U.S. towns, including 214 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 54 places on the National Register. 44% of working residents work locally in Burlington, above both Vermont’s towns (16%) and U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Follett House and Grassemount. Only 7 of Vermont’s 172 towns score lower on cost of living.
Where Burlington beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Ethan Allen Engine company No. 4
Its 54 National Register listings are more than in any other Vermont town with a listing.
Census counts: 330 in 1790, 44,743 in 2020. The archive holds 23 old photos and papers going back to 1798 and 5 maps from 1906 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Vermont), ordered by how far Burlington is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D− for safety (better than 4%), so the C+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Burlington. Close and well known come first.
Big draw5 mi LakeLake Champlain
21 mi MountainMount Mansfield
8 mi MuseumShelburne Museum
34 mi MountainWhiteface Mountain
11 mi Canyon & gorgeAusable Chasm
22 mi Ski areaStowe Mountain Resort144 runs · 2,390 ft verticalLake Champlain: Copernicus Sentinel-2, ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo · Mount Mansfield: Original uploader was Calzarette (Joe Calzarette) at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Shelburne Museum: Storylanding, CC0 · Whiteface Mountain: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ausable Chasm: Alan Prusila / Alanp35 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Stowe Mountain Resort: Stevage, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Burlington, 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 Burlington.
Burlington is shaped by its college students and draws workers from South Burlington and beyond, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Vermont rate.
Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #1 of 71 in Vermont.
37 miles of trail in 31 parks and preserves. Burlington’s trail density is 2.4 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Ethan Allen Homestead, 249 acres with 3.7 miles of trail.
| Burlington | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 2.4 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 15% | 14% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ethan Allen Homestead | 3.7 mi | 249 |
| 2. Rock Point | 2.7 mi | 129 |
| 3. Centennial Woods Natural Area | 2.4 mi | 77 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Burlington School District. Two of its 15 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champlain SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 559 | A− |
| Burlington High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 921 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 4.8 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Vermont rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Each of the 3 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from South Burlington (D) to Colchester (C+).
The property crime rate in Burlington is 40.5 per 1,000 residents. Burlington reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 96% report less. The violent crime rate in Burlington is 4.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Burlington | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 40.5 per 1,000 residents | 13.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.6 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
32,120 jobs are based in Burlington, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
21% of residents live below the poverty line in Burlington. The top destinations are South Burlington (13%), Colchester (6%) and Williston (5%). 19% of workers work from home in Burlington.
| Burlington | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 9.2% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 19% | 15% | 11% |
| Median household income | $71,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Within Vermont it is healthier than 60% of the 71 graded towns: Vermont sets a high bar.
21% of Burlington adults have high blood pressure. No town among the 71 in Vermont we compare has a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Burlington. 31% of Burlington adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Burlington | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 32% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 5.4% | 9.1% | 12% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 27% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 30% | 35% |
| What stands out | Burlington | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.9% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 3.8% | 6.3% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 9.5% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Only 1 of the 71 Vermont towns we compare have a lower share of households owning their home than Burlington. The typical Burlington home is worth about $504,000, down 1.9% in a year, 29% above the Vermont typical home. Among 68 Vermont towns, just 6 have a higher median rent than Burlington.
| Burlington | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 42% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,649 a month | $1,133 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 56% | 47% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 12 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Burlington.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Essex Junction 1 N weather station, 6 miles away, records that 86 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. The Essex Junction 1 N weather station, 6 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 160 days: shorter than most of the country, but longer than 88% of Vermont places with climate records.
Burlington has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 81° and January nights drop to 10°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
4 within 15 miles of the center of Burlington
College town 32 of every 100 Burlington residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
15% of the town is conserved land, across 31 parks and preserves.
54 places in Burlington on the National Register of Historic Places.
55 notable people were born in Burlington.
Most populous city in Vermont, U.S.
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. State of Vermont and the county seat of Chittenden County. It is located 45 miles (72 km) south of the Canada–United States border and 95 miles (153 km) south of Montreal. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 44,743, making Burlington the most populous municipality in Vermont and the least populous U.S. city to be the most populous city within a state. A regional college town, Burlington is home to the University of Vermont (UVM) and Champlain College. Vermont's largest hospital, the UVM Medical Center, is within the city limits. The City of Burlington owns Vermont's largest airport, the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Air…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Burlington.
| Town | VT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington | #43 | C+ | D | D− | B+ | A |
| Colchester | #16 | A− | C− | C+ | A | A |
| South Burlington | #26 | B | D | D | A | A+ |
| Winooski | #61 | C− | D | C− | D− | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Burlington grades C+ overall, better than 42% of U.S. towns and #43 of 71 in Vermont. It grades A for health, D− for safety and B+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
55 notable people were born here, including John Dewey and Grace Coolidge.
