Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Fairlee’s subject grades are an A for health and an A+ for history and the outdoors; the weakest is a C− for incomes. 33% of residents are 65 or older in Fairlee, above both the Vermont town median (22%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). On hazard risk, just 9 of Vermont’s 172 towns do worse. Fairlee’s trail density is 1.7 miles per square mile, where Vermont’s towns sit at 0.6 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Only 3 of Vermont’s 172 towns score higher on the outdoors. Its National Register listings include Fairlee Railroad Depot and Lanakila Camp. Fairlee has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Fairlee beats most towns.
Census counts: 463 in 1790, a low of 386 in 1800, 988 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1907 and 2 maps from 1931 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 Fairlee is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fairlee, 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 Fairlee.
Fairlee beats the Vermont average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 28% of Fairlee adults sleep under 7 hours. Among 72 Vermont towns, just 3 have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Fairlee.
| Fairlee | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Fairlee | VT |
|---|---|---|
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 88.6% | 85.9% |
| More adults with arthritis | 32% | 27.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Rivendell Interstate School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Morey Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 108 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
The median age in Fairlee is 56.2 years. Among 72 Vermont towns, just 3 have a lower share of children under 18 than Fairlee. Fairlee has grown 5.4% since 2020, to 1,048 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Fairlee | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 56.2 years | 43.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 12% | 19% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 47% | 40% | 29% |
Somewhere between 36% and 60% women
The Census survey reached too few of Fairlee’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±12 points. Across Vermont, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Fairlee | VT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.8% | 9.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 3.4% | 8.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.1% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.3% | 11.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 5.4% | 12.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.6% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.9% | 14.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 19.2% | 13% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 14.2% | 8.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.1% | 5.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.8% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 20% | 15.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 2.6% | 8.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 31.7% | 25.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.8% | 18.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,000, single groups can be off by several points
36 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves.
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 68% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Fairlee has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Fairlee’s July high is 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Fairlee for work: only 14% work in town. 15% of residents live below the poverty line in Fairlee. Since 2013, Fairlee has lost 22 jobs, to 401 in 2023.
| Fairlee | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 16% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $75,000 | $80,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Fairlee's reported crime rate is well below Vermont's. Among 43 Vermont towns, just 4 have a lower violent crime rate than Fairlee. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Fairlee | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 11.3 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.6 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
The typical Fairlee home is worth about $387,000, down 4.4% in a year, close to the Vermont typical home.
| Fairlee | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 81% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,083 a month | $1,135 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Fairlee. Close and well known come first.
37 mi Ski areaKillington Resort184 runs · 3,031 ft vertical
30 mi Ski areaCannon Mountain104 runs · 2,201 ft vertical
40 mi Ski areaSugarbush Resort142 runs · 2,569 ft vertical
29 mi State parkFranconia Notch State Park
28 mi WaterfallFlume Gorge
29 mi Ski areaLoon Mountain Resort80 runs · 2,189 ft verticalKillington Resort: NHRHS2010, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cannon Mountain: Mikespenard at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sugarbush Resort: Mrtrek1701 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Franconia Notch State Park: Stephen Sokolowski, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Flume Gorge: MyCatIsAChonk, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Loon Mountain Resort: Own work, Public domain
None within 15 miles of Fairlee; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Fairlee residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
4 places in Fairlee on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Vermont, United States
Fairlee is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 988 at the 2020 census. It includes the village of Ely. Fairlee is home to Lake Morey, which claims to have the longest ice skating trail in the United States.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 4.7 years of the area's median household income ($83,269 across the Lebanon-Claremont, NH-VT area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
2 notable people were born here, including George W. Morrison and William H. Gilmore.
