Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,575. 3.8 times the library visits per person than the typical Vermont town.
Putney grades B− overall, 42nd of 71 graded towns in Vermont, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 85% of the country. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $80K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line. A typical home there costs about $378K, 5.2 years of the Brattleboro area’s $72K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. Putney’s trail network density is 1.1 miles per square mile, where Vermont’s towns sit at 0.6 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Putney's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 97% of U.S. towns. Putney is home to Landmark College.
Where Putney beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Vermont), ordered by how far Putney is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,848 in 1790, a low of 761 in 1920, 2,617 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1790 and 4 maps from 1891 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Who provides power, water and the rest in Putney, 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 Putney.
Putney is shaped by its college students, gets more snow than most of the country, though not than most of Vermont and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Vermont.
Across 6 parks and preserves: 30 miles of trail. Windmill Ridge Nature Reserve, at 384 acres with 3.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Parks and preserves in Putney: 6, covering 831 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Forest for Learning | 4.1 mi | 167 |
| 2. Windmill Ridge Nature Reserve | 3.4 mi | 384 |
| 3. Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge | 1.9 mi | 207 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Enrollment at Putney’s public school: 192 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Putney Central SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 192 | B− |
| The Greenwood School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 42 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
Within Vermont it is healthier than 56% of the 71 graded towns: Vermont sets a high bar.
For adults in Putney, the share who worry about having enough food is 8.6%. Putney: a quarter of adults have obesity, against 30% in Vermont’s towns and 35% across U.S. towns. 28% of adults in Putney sleep under 7 hours; 74% had a checkup this year.
| Putney | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 30% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 36% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 74% | 76% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 35% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Putney’s FEMA hazard score comes in at 27 of 100. 62% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by cold waves at 15%. Federal aid has come to Putney households in 8 declared disasters; the latest was in 2023.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
20.4% of residents are enrolled in college, against 7% statewide, which pulls the median age down.
Putney: nearly half of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Adults 18 to 34 are nearly a third of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 35% of residents (39% statewide). Its midpoint age comes in at 37.2 years.
| Putney | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 15% | 19% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 49% | 39% | 29% |
| Median age | 37.2 years | 43.8 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 18% | 22% | 18% |
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.3 points. Across Vermont, 50.4% of residents are women. Among residents 55 to 64, 65% are men (VT 49%).
| Putney | VT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.6% | 9.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.8% | 8.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 21% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11% | 11.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.2% | 12.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.6% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.7% | 14.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.1% | 13% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7% | 8.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.2% | 5.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.1% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 13.3% | 15.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.9% | 8.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.7% | 25.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 29.9% | 18.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,600, single groups can be off by several points
The Walpole 3 weather station, 8 miles away, records that 60 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 89% of Vermont places with climate records. January nights average 12.2°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 96% of Vermont places with climate records; July afternoons average 82.9°.
The January low in Putney is 12°F. Of the 71 Vermont towns we compare, none has a higher typical July afternoon high than Putney.
| Putney | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 12°F | 9°F | 22°F |
| July high | 83°F | 80°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Half commute less than 10 miles. For Putney, the average trip to work is 18 minutes. About one worker in five stays in Putney for work. Jobs here fell by 74 from 2013 to 2023, to 851.
| Putney | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 21% | 16% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
A typical home in Putney is worth about $378,000, down 1.7% in a year, close to the Vermont typical home. The share of households in Putney who own their home: 73%.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Putney. Close and well known come first.
23 mi MountainMount Monadnock
19 mi Ski areaMount Snow119 runs · 1,648 ft vertical
40 mi MuseumClark Art Institute
21 mi Ski areaStratton Mountain Resort106 runs · 1,899 ft vertical
31 mi Ski areaOkemo Mountain119 runs · 2,165 ft vertical
36 mi MuseumMassachusetts Museum of Contemporary ArtMount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mount Snow: William J Sisti from Morristown, NJ, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Clark Art Institute: Daderot, Public domain · Stratton Mountain Resort: Rudi Riet from Washington, DC, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Okemo Mountain: Jrclark (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art: N-Lange.de, CC BY-SA 3.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Putney
College town 20 of every 100 Putney residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
5 places in Putney on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Putney.
Town in Vermont, United States
Putney is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,617 at the 2020 census. The town's historic core makes up the Putney Village Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Putney.
| Town | VT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Putney | #42 | B− | C | — | C+ | A− |
| Brookline | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dummerston | — | — | C− | — | C+ | A− |
| Westminster | #51 | C | C | — | C− | A− |
Dummerston has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Putney, Dummerston and Westminster report no FBI crime data of their own. Brookline isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Putney with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Putney grades B− overall, better than 45% of U.S. towns and #42 of 71 in Vermont. It grades A− for health and C+ for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
8 notable people were born here, including Henry Shaw and William Haile.
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