Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Newport earns a D, ranked 69th of 71 in Vermont, mostly because of incomes and safety. The median household income is $55K, and 23% of residents live below the poverty line. Its crime rate is higher than 82% of U.S. towns, with 17 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. In its favor, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 90% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 7 places on the National Register. 37% of working residents work locally in Newport, above both Vermont’s towns (16%) and U.S. towns (8%). On health, just 1 of Vermont’s 172 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include Goodrich Memorial Library and Orleans County Courthouse and Jail Complex.
Where Newport beats most towns.
The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1919 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 Newport is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Newport, 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 Newport.
Newport draws workers from Derby and beyond, gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
3,074 jobs are based in Newport, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 14.5 minutes, against 23.5 across Vermont.
The average trip to work in Newport is 15 minutes. Jobs based in Newport fell to 3,074 in 2023, 472 fewer than in 2013. About one in 3 of Newport’s working residents works in town.
| Newport | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the North Country Union High School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is North Country Union High School, with 678 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newport City Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 316 | C |
| North Country Union High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 678 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
At 37.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 70% of Vermont’s graded towns.
Newport’s violent crime rate is 3.9 per 1,000 residents. Newport reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 82% report less.
| Newport | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13.2 per 1,000 residents | 14.2 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
4.7 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is South Bay Wildlife Management Area, at 136 acres.
| Newport | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.4% | 14% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bluffside Farm | 3.1 mi | 130 |
| 2. South Bay Wildlife Management Area | — | 136 |
| 3. Prouty Beach & Campground | 0.1 mi | 24 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Home values rose 34% in five years, to about $262K, against 17% across Vermont.
The typical Newport home is worth about $262,000, up 5.3% in a year, 33% below the Vermont typical home. 58% of Newport households own their home. Only 5 of the 68 Vermont towns we compare have a lower median rent than Newport.
| Newport | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $850 a month | $1,137 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 7,312 U.S. towns with household incomes like Newport’s, it is healthier than 57%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
17% of adults report frequent physical distress in Newport. No town among the 71 in Vermont we compare has a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Newport. 19% of adults report frequent mental distress in Newport.
| Newport | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 12% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 15% | 19% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Newport | VT |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.2% | 6.5% |
| More smokers | 17.3% | 11.2% |
| More adults in fair or poor health | 22.2% | 14.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Newport.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Newport weather station records that 99 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Newport has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 79° and January nights drop to 6°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Newport. Close and well known come first.
7 mi TheatreHaskell Free Library and Opera House
15 mi LakeLake Willoughby
15 mi Ski areaJay Peak Resort79 runs · 1,988 ft vertical
40 mi Ski areaStowe Mountain Resort144 runs · 2,390 ft vertical
37 mi Ski areaSmugglers' Notch Resort110 runs · 2,533 ft vertical
29 mi Ski areaBurke Mountain Resort61 runs · 1,990 ft verticalHaskell Free Library and Opera House: Thomsonmg2000, CC0 · Lake Willoughby: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jay Peak Resort: Hanumanix at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Stowe Mountain Resort: Stevage, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Smugglers' Notch Resort: Jrclark (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Burke Mountain Resort: Patrick McCaffrey, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Newport; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Newport residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
Where Newport’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 places in Newport on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 towns share a border with Newport.
| Town | VT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newport | #69 | D | C+ | C− | C | C |
| Derby | #57 | C− | C+ | — | C | B− |
| Newport | #55 | C− | C+ | — | C | B+ |
| Coventry | — | — | B+ | — | C | C+ |
Coventry has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Derby, Newport and Coventry report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Newport with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Newport grades D overall, better than 9% of U.S. towns and #69 of 71 in Vermont. It grades C for health, C− for safety and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.7 years of the area's median household income ($70,103 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
