Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,369, settled in 1792.
Johnson grades C overall, 53rd among Vermont's 71 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is healthier than 79% of U.S. towns and it is more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns. On the other side, its schools rank behind 94% of the state's. 26% of the land in Johnson is conserved, above both the Vermont town median (14%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). On incomes, just 8 of Vermont’s 172 towns do worse. The biggest place to walk is Mount Mansfield State Forest, 2,325 acres with 4.8 miles of trail.
Where Johnson beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Johnson Elementary School | PK–6 | 185 |
| Laraway School | 7–12 | 18 |
Census counts: 93 in 1790, 3,491 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1868 and 4 maps from 1930 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Vermont), ordered by how far Johnson is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Johnson, 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 Johnson.
Johnson gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
Its public schools are run by the Lamoille North Modified Union School District #058A. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 185 | C− |
| Laraway School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 18 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
Against the 7,524 U.S. towns with household incomes like Johnson’s, it is healthier than 98%, so its A− isn’t only a matter of income. Within Vermont it is less healthy than 59% of the 71 graded towns: Vermont sets a high bar.
70% of Johnson adults had a checkup this year, where Vermont’s towns sit at 76% and U.S. towns at 79%. 30% of Johnson adults have been diagnosed with depression. Of the 71 Vermont towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who binge drink than Johnson.
| Johnson | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 70% | 76% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 27% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.3% | 9.1% | 12% |
| What stands out | Johnson | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 7.3% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5.1% | 6.3% |
| More binge drinkers | 19.8% | 16.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mount Mansfield State Forest | 4.8 mi | 2,325 |
| 2. The Old Mill Park | 0.6 mi | 21 |
| 3. Lower Pond | 0.3 mi | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Jobs based here fell from 958 in 2013 to 749. The average commute for its 1,299 working residents takes 33.3 minutes, against 23.5 across Vermont.
Johnson’s average trip to work is 33 minutes. Since 2013, Johnson has lost 209 jobs, to 749 in 2023. Johnson’s median household income is $55,000.
| Johnson | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 9.2% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 16% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Jeffersonville weather station, 7 miles away, records that 139 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 99% of U.S. towns.
Johnson has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Johnson is 78°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1995, 19 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Johnson.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Johnson. Close and well known come first.
Big draw33 mi LakeLake Champlain
10 mi MountainMount Mansfield
10 mi Ski areaStowe Mountain Resort144 runs · 2,390 ft vertical
38 mi TheatreHaskell Free Library and Opera House
7 mi Ski areaSmugglers' Notch Resort110 runs · 2,533 ft vertical
32 mi LakeLake WilloughbyLake Champlain: Copernicus Sentinel-2, ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo · Mount Mansfield: Original uploader was Calzarette (Joe Calzarette) at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Stowe Mountain Resort: Stevage, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Haskell Free Library and Opera House: Thomsonmg2000, CC0 · Smugglers' Notch Resort: Jrclark (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Willoughby: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0
None within 15 miles of Johnson; the nearest are
About 14 of every 100 Johnson residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
Where Johnson’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in Johnson on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Johnson.
Town in Vermont, United States
Johnson is a town in Lamoille County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,491 at the 2020 census. The town is home to Northern Vermont University-Johnson, a part the Vermont State Colleges system. The Vermont Studio Center is located in the village of Johnson. Since 1842, the town has been the home to Johnson Woolen Mills.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Johnson.
Morristown next door grades higher for schools (A to Johnson’s D) and lower for cost of living (C− to B−).
| Town | VT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson | #53 | C | B− | — | D | A− |
| Morristown | #27 | B | C− | C+ | A | A− |
| Cambridge | #54 | C− | D | — | D | A |
| Hyde Park | #47 | C+ | B− | — | D | A− |
| Eden | — | — | C+ | — | D | B+ |
| Waterville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Eden has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Johnson, Cambridge, Hyde Park and Eden report no FBI crime data of their own. Waterville isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Johnson with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Johnson grades C overall, better than 26% of U.S. towns and #53 of 71 in Vermont. It grades A− for health and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
5 notable people were born here, including Julian Scott and Charles H. Stearns.
