Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Shaftsbury grades C overall, 50th of 71 graded towns in Vermont, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Residents are healthier than 82% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and natural-hazard risk is low. On the other side, its public schools trail 88% of Vermont towns on state tests and graduation. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 90% of U.S. towns, with 6 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include Robert Frost Farm and North Bennington Depot. Shaftsbury's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 89% of U.S. towns. The biggest place to walk is Green Mountain National Forest, 1,343 acres with 1.1 miles of trail.
Where Shaftsbury beats most towns.
Robert Frost Farm is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 1,999 in 1790, 3,598 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1783 and 4 maps from 1894 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 Shaftsbury is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Shaftsbury. Close and well known come first.
24 mi MountainMount Greylock
19 mi MuseumClark Art Institute
40 mi LandmarkFort William Henry
6 mi LandmarkBennington Battle Monument
35 mi Theme parkGreat Escape
15 mi Ski areaMount Snow119 runs · 1,648 ft verticalMount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 3.0 · Clark Art Institute: Daderot, Public domain · Fort William Henry: IrisKawling at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Bennington Battle Monument: Phil Boucher, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Great Escape: Jared and Corin, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Mount Snow: William J Sisti from Morristown, NJ, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shaftsbury, 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 Shaftsbury.
Shaftsbury is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Vermont and has colder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Vermont.
Its public schools are run by the Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shaftsbury Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 245 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
Within Vermont it is healthier than 50% of the 71 graded towns: Vermont sets a high bar.
30% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Shaftsbury, where Vermont’s towns sit at 27% and U.S. towns at 23%. 7.2% of adults worry about having enough food in Shaftsbury. Shaftsbury beats the Vermont average on 5 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Shaftsbury | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 27% | 23% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 7.2% | 9.5% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 30% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 19% | 25% |
| What stands out | Shaftsbury | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.2% | 9.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.7% | 5.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Shaftsbury for work: only 8% work in town. Since 2013, Shaftsbury has lost 38 jobs, to 514 in 2023. The top destinations are Bennington (45%), Manchester (8%) and Arlington (6%).
| Shaftsbury | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 7.7% | 16% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $80,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 78% of U.S. communities. Since 2011, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Shaftsbury.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Children under 18 are 27% of residents (18% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (22% statewide). 41% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Shaftsbury, close to Vermont’s towns (39%) and above U.S. towns (29%).
| Shaftsbury | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 39% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 22% | 18% |
| Median age | 43 years | 43.8 years | 40.5 years |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.1 points. Across Vermont, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Shaftsbury | VT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.4% | 9.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 15.1% | 8.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.5% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.6% | 11.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.7% | 12.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.4% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.4% | 14.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.2% | 13% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.6% | 8.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.5% | 5.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.6% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 7.5% | 15.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.5% | 8.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.1% | 25.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 20.9% | 18.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,600, single groups can be off by several points
January nights average 12.3°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 96% of Vermont places with climate records; July afternoons average 80.1°.
Shaftsbury has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Shaftsbury’s July high is 80°F. Only 3 of the 71 Vermont towns we compare have a higher January low than Shaftsbury.
| Shaftsbury | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 80°F | 80°F | 85°F |
| January low | 12°F | 9°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
14 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Green Mountain National Forest | 1.1 mi | 1,343 |
| 2. Lake Shaftsbury State Park | 1.1 mi | 101 |
| 3. Glastenbury Wilderness | 0.8 mi | 485 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Shaftsbury home is worth about $353,000, about the same as a year ago, 10% below the Vermont typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1 within 15 miles of the center of Shaftsbury
About 2 of every 100 Shaftsbury residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
Where Shaftsbury’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in Shaftsbury on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Shaftsbury.
Town in Vermont, United States
Shaftsbury is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,598 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Shaftsbury.
| Town | VT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shaftsbury | #50 | C | C | — | D | A− |
| Arlington | — | — | C | — | D | A− |
| Bennington | #70 | D | C− | C− | D | B+ |
Arlington has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Shaftsbury and Arlington report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Shaftsbury with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Shaftsbury grades C overall, better than 33% of U.S. towns and #50 of 71 in Vermont. It grades A− for health and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 4.8 years of the area's median household income ($73,325 across the Bennington, 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.
9 notable people were born here, including Jacob M. Howard and Abram B. Olin.
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