Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Royalton grades B+ overall, 20th of 71 graded towns in Vermont, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Residents are healthier than 84% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 79% of U.S. towns. It also does better than most on safety: it reports less crime per resident than 71% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in schools: its public schools trail 62% of Vermont towns on state tests and graduation. A typical home there costs about $329K, 4 years of the Lebanon area’s $83K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. Royalton is home to Vermont Law and Graduate School. On history, just 12 of Vermont’s 172 towns do better. 14% of residents are under 18 in Royalton, below both the Vermont town median (19%) and the median of U.S. towns (22%).
Where Royalton beats most towns.
Census counts: 748 in 1790, a low of 748 in 1790, 2,750 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1802 and 4 maps from 1919 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Vermont), ordered by how far Royalton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Royalton, 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 Royalton.
Royalton gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, trades workers with Lebanon and other neighbors and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Vermont.
Within Vermont it is healthier than 54% of the 71 graded towns: Vermont sets a high bar.
72% of adults had a checkup this year in Royalton. Royalton beats the Vermont average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Royalton.
| Royalton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 72% | 76% | 79% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 27% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 30% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 19% |
| What stands out | Royalton | VT |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.4% | 10.1% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 11.5% | 9.2% |
| More adults facing housing insecurity | 10.6% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the White River Unified School District #79. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Royalton Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 168 | B− |
| White River Valley High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 224 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
The property crime rate in Royalton is 5 per 1,000 residents.
| Royalton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 5 per 1,000 residents | 11.7 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.7 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
The Bethel 4 N weather station, 6 miles away, records that 81 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 80.9°: cooler than most of the country, but hotter than 78% of Vermont places with climate records; January nights average 8.4°.
Royalton has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Royalton’s January low is 8°F.
| Royalton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 8°F | 10°F | 22°F |
| July high | 81°F | 80°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Royalton has about as many jobs (1,065) as working residents, but only 210 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Royalton for work: only 18% work in town. 13% of Royalton residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Royalton grew to 1,065 in 2023, 79 more than in 2013.
| Royalton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $104,000 | $80,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 16% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 9.2% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Royalton home is worth about $329,000, up 0.9% in a year, 16% below the Vermont typical home.
| Royalton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 64% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,040 a month | $1,137 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Vermont average. 43% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 44% across Vermont.
| Royalton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 43% | 39% | 29% |
| Median age | 43.9 years | 43.7 years | 40.5 years |
54% women, 46% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.3 points. Across Vermont, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Royalton | VT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.8% | 9.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 3.6% | 8.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.8% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 19.4% | 11.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.3% | 12.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.8% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.3% | 14.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.9% | 13% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.2% | 8.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.3% | 5.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 38.9% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 9.2% | 15.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5% | 8.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.6% | 25.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 25% | 18.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,700, single groups can be off by several points
7.6 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves. Among 71 Vermont towns, just 5 have a lower trail density than Royalton.
| Royalton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 4.5% | 14% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 1998, 14 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Royalton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Royalton. Close and well known come first.
18 mi Ski areaKillington Resort184 runs · 3,031 ft vertical
29 mi Ski areaSugarbush Resort142 runs · 2,569 ft vertical
29 mi Ski areaOkemo Mountain119 runs · 2,165 ft vertical
27 mi National forestGreen Mountain National Forest
11 mi Ski areaSaskadena Six38 runs · 618 ft vertical
32 mi Ski areaMad River Glen77 runs · 1,998 ft verticalKillington Resort: NHRHS2010, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sugarbush Resort: Mrtrek1701 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Okemo Mountain: Jrclark (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Green Mountain National Forest: Brian W. Schaller, FAL · Saskadena Six: Jared C. Benedict, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mad River Glen: Jrclark (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Royalton
About 8 of every 100 Royalton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Vermont.
5 places in Royalton on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Royalton.
Town in Vermont, United States
Royalton is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,750 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Royalton, South Royalton, and North Royalton. Vermont Law and Graduate School, the state's only accredited law school, is located in South Royalton.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Royalton.
| Town | VT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royalton | #20 | B+ | C+ | B+ | C+ | A− |
| Barnard | — | — | C | — | A | A |
| Bethel | — | — | C | — | C+ | A |
| Tunbridge | — | — | C− | — | C+ | B+ |
| Sharon | — | — | C− | — | C+ | A |
| Randolph | #14 | A− | C | — | B+ | A− |
| Pomfret | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Strafford | — | — | C | — | C+ | B+ |
Barnard, Bethel, Tunbridge, Sharon and Strafford have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Barnard, Bethel, Tunbridge, Sharon, Randolph and Strafford report no FBI crime data of their own. Pomfret isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Royalton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Royalton grades B+ overall, better than 71% of U.S. towns and #20 of 71 in Vermont. It grades A− for health, B+ for safety 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+.
7 notable people were born here, including Truman Henry Safford and Charles Durkee.
