Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Castleton grades A− overall, 15th of 71 graded towns in Vermont. Crime is low: it reports less per resident than 99% of U.S. towns. Residents are healthier than 76% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $333K, 4.8 years of the Rutland area’s $69K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 4 places on the National Register. Castleton is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns. Among 37 Vermont towns, just 2 have a lower level of property crime than Castleton. The biggest place to walk is Bomoseen State Park, 824 acres with 2.5 miles of trail.
Where Castleton beats most towns.
Castleton Medical College Building
Census counts: 800 in 1790, a low of 800 in 1790, 4,458 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 1898 and 3 maps from 1895 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Vermont), ordered by how far Castleton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Castleton, 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 Castleton.
Castleton pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the Vermont norm, gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and trades workers with Rutland and other neighbors.
Violent crime is rare: 0 reported in 2025, 0 per 1,000 residents.
No violent crime was reported in Castleton.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its one school is below. Enrollment at Castleton’s public school: 216 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castleton Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 216 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
Within Vermont it is less healthy than 66% of the 71 graded towns: Vermont sets a high bar.
Castleton: 16% of adults say their health is fair or poor. 8.8% of adults here have diabetes; 18% report frequent mental distress.
| Castleton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 36% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 9.1% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 16% |
| What stands out | Castleton | VT |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.5% | 10.1% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 7.8% | 6.4% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 11.1% | 9.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
For Castleton, the FEMA risk score is 22 of 100. Expected losses in Castleton break down as 69% from inland flooding and 9% from cold waves. 5 flood insurance claims have been paid here since 1986.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Chittenden weather station, 11 miles away, records that 83 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. January nights average 10.2°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 76% of Vermont places with climate records; July afternoons average 80.7°.
In Castleton, the July high is 81°F, close to Vermont’s towns (80°F) and below U.S. towns (85°F). For Castleton, the January low is 10°F.
| Castleton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 10°F | 9°F | 22°F |
| July high | 81°F | 80°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 35 to 64 are 32% of residents (39% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 29% of residents (22% statewide). In Castleton, the median age is 38.3 years, against 43.8 years in Vermont’s towns and 40.5 years across U.S. towns. The bachelor’s-degree share among adults 25 and older is 38%, against 44% across Vermont.
| Castleton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 38.3 years | 43.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 40% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 22% | 18% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.7 points. Across Vermont, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Castleton | VT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.6% | 9.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.2% | 8.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 19.1% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.7% | 11.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.5% | 12.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.8% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.4% | 14.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.7% | 13% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8% | 8.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.5% | 5.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.2% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.1% | 15.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.3% | 8.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.1% | 25.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.8% | 18.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,400, single groups can be off by several points
Castleton has about as many jobs (1,501) as working residents, but only 219 people both live and work here.
The share of residents in Castleton who live below the poverty line: 13%. Most working residents leave Castleton for work: only 16% work in town. The average commute here is 19 minutes. The top destinations are Rutland (24%), Rutland (7%) and Fair Haven (4%).
| Castleton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 9.2% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 16% | 8% |
| Median household income | $74,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Castleton grades A− overall with a typical home of about $333K, below the Vermont typical value; only 4 of the 15 Vermont towns graded A− or better can say that. 67.7% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.4% across Vermont.
In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 4.5%. For households in Castleton, the share who own their home is 79%.
| Castleton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 79% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,137 a month | $1,133 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
In 2 parks and preserves, walkers have 10 miles of trail. The concentration of trails for Castleton comes to 0.2 miles per square mile. Parks and preserves here: 2, covering 944 acres.
| Castleton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 8.6% | 14% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bomoseen State Park | 2.5 mi | 824 |
| 2. Birdseye Wildlife Management Area | 0.1 mi | 120 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Castleton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw17 mi LandmarkFort Ticonderoga
19 mi LakeLake George
32 mi LandmarkFort William Henry
19 mi Ski areaKillington Resort184 runs · 3,031 ft vertical
34 mi Theme parkGreat Escape
21 mi National forestGreen Mountain National ForestFort Ticonderoga: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake George: Sixlocal, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort William Henry: IrisKawling at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Killington Resort: NHRHS2010, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Great Escape: Jared and Corin, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Green Mountain National Forest: Brian W. Schaller, FAL
None within 15 miles of Castleton; the nearest are
College town 19 of every 100 Castleton residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
4 places in Castleton on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Castleton.
Town in Vermont, United States
Castleton is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. Castleton is about 15 miles (24 km) to the west of Rutland, the county's seat and most populous city, and about 7 miles (11 km) east of the New York/Vermont state border. The town had a population of 4,458 at the 2020 census. A campus of Vermont State University is located there, with roots dating to 1787.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Castleton.
| Town | VT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castleton | #15 | A− | C− | A+ | B | A− |
| Poultney | #45 | C+ | B− | — | C+ | B+ |
| Ira | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fair Haven | #44 | C+ | C+ | C+ | B | B− |
| Hubbardton | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Benson | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Poultney reports no FBI crime data of its own. Ira, Hubbardton and Benson aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Castleton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Castleton grades A− overall, better than 78% of U.S. towns and #15 of 71 in Vermont. It grades A− for health, A+ for safety and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
7 notable people were born here, including David Swinson Maynard and Alexander W. Buel.
