Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Cambridge grades C− overall, ranked 54th of 71 in Vermont, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is healthier than 91% of U.S. towns and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 84% of U.S. towns. On the other side, its public schools trail 94% of Vermont towns on state tests and graduation. 22% of the land in Cambridge is conserved, above both the Vermont town median (14%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). On cost of living, just 15 of Vermont’s 172 towns do worse. The biggest place to walk is Mount Mansfield State Forest, 5,093 acres with 7.2 miles of trail.
Where Cambridge beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 359 in 1790, 3,839 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1865 and 2 maps from 1927 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Vermont), ordered by how far Cambridge is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cambridge, 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 Cambridge.
Cambridge gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has commutes longer than most of Vermont and has many renters stretched by housing costs.
Its public schools are run by the Cambridge School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 324 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
20% of Cambridge adults binge drink, where Vermont’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 16%. 73% of Cambridge adults had a checkup this year. Cambridge beats the Vermont average on 8 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 3.
| Cambridge | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 73% | 76% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 32% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.3% | 9.1% | 12% |
| What stands out | Cambridge | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.6% | 3.3% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5% | 6.3% |
| More binge drinkers | 19.5% | 16.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
25 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mount Mansfield State Forest | 7.2 mi | 5,093 |
| 2. Krusch Nature Preserve | 1.1 mi | 50 |
| 3. Cambridge State Forest | — | 22 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Jeffersonville weather station records that 139 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 99% of U.S. towns.
Cambridge has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Cambridge’s July high is 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 14% of residents (22% statewide); children under 18 are 23% of residents (18% statewide). 51% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Cambridge. Only 5 of the 71 Vermont towns we compare have a higher share of children under 18 than Cambridge.
| Cambridge | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 51% | 39% | 29% |
| Median age | 37.4 years | 43.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 23% | 18% | 22% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.4 points. Across Vermont, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Cambridge | VT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.3% | 9.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.7% | 8.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.4% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 17% | 11.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.8% | 12.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.1% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.1% | 14.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.3% | 13% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.1% | 8.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.6% | 5.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 17.2% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.3% | 15.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.2% | 8.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 35.1% | 25.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.6% | 18.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,700, single groups can be off by several points
The average commute for its 1,756 working residents takes 32.4 minutes, against 23.5 across Vermont.
About one in 4 of Cambridge’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Cambridge is 32 minutes. Since 2013, Cambridge has added 221 jobs, to 1,319 in 2023.
| Cambridge | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 16% | 8% |
| Work from home | 9.9% | 15% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.7% | 9.6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 14 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Cambridge.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
66.6% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.4% across Vermont.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cambridge. Close and well known come first.
Big draw26 mi LakeLake Champlain
6 mi MountainMount Mansfield
in town Ski areaSmugglers' Notch Resort110 runs · 2,533 ft vertical
7 mi Ski areaStowe Mountain Resort144 runs · 2,390 ft vertical
38 mi LakeLake Willoughby
26 mi Ski areaJay Peak Resort79 runs · 1,988 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 · Smugglers' Notch Resort: Jrclark (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Stowe Mountain Resort: Stevage, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Willoughby: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jay Peak Resort: Hanumanix at English Wikipedia, Public domain
None within 15 miles of Cambridge; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Cambridge residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
7 places in Cambridge on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Cambridge.
Town in Vermont, United States
Cambridge is a town in Lamoille County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,839 at the 2020 United States Census. Cambridge includes the villages of Jeffersonville and Cambridge.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Cambridge.
All 5 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Johnson (C) is closest.
| Town | VT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge | #54 | C− | D | — | D | A |
| Fletcher | — | — | C+ | — | B− | A |
| Fairfax | #12 | A− | B− | — | B− | A |
| Underhill | #24 | B+ | D | — | A | A+ |
| Johnson | #53 | C | B− | — | D | A− |
| Morristown | #27 | B | C− | C+ | A | A− |
| Stowe | #23 | B+ | D− | B+ | A | A+ |
| Waterville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Fletcher has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Cambridge, Fletcher, Fairfax, Underhill and Johnson report no FBI crime data of their own. Waterville isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Cambridge with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cambridge grades C− overall, better than 25% of U.S. towns and #54 of 71 in Vermont. It grades A for health and D for schools. Schools 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.
4 notable people were born here, including Harmon Northrop Morse and Anson D. Morse.
