Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 8,133, chartered in 1763.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Shelburne grades A− overall, 9th of 71 graded towns in Vermont. It is among the healthiest towns in the country on CDC estimates. Its public schools beat 96% of Vermont towns on state tests and graduation. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $672K for a typical one and 7.2 times the Burlington metro’s $93K median household income. 70% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Shelburne, where Vermont’s towns sit at 39% and U.S. towns at 29%. Only 17 of Vermont’s 172 towns score higher on hazard risk. Shelburne's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 94% of U.S. towns.
Where Shelburne beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Shelburne | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.2% | 10.1% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Shelburne Community School | PK–8 | 788 |
| Vermont Day School | PK–8 | 54 |
| Lake Champlain Waldorf School | PK–11 | 200 |
Ticonderoga is one of 2 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 389 in 1790, 7,717 in 2020. The archive holds 22 old photos and papers going back to 1865 and 5 maps from 1906 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 Shelburne is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shelburne, 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 Shelburne.
Shelburne is among the three healthiest towns in Vermont, has schools in the top 5% of Vermont and gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns.
At 7.2 years of the Burlington metro’s $93K median household income, the typical home (about $672K) costs more against local pay than in 93% of Vermont towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $8,173, against $5,039 across Vermont, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The median rent in Shelburne is $1,442 a month. The typical Shelburne home is worth about $672,000, about the same as a year ago, 71% above the Vermont typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #2 of the 71 Vermont towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $672K.
Its public schools are run by the Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelburne Community SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 788 | A |
| Lake Champlain Waldorf School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–11 | Grades PK–11 | 200 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
It ranks #2 of the 71 Vermont towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Vermont is tooth loss: 4.2% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 10.1% statewide.
22% of Shelburne adults sleep under 7 hours. Of the 71 Vermont towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Shelburne. 13% of Shelburne adults get no exercise outside work.
| Shelburne | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 30% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 30% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.6% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Shelburne | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.2% | 10.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 4.9% | 9.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.5% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
47 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Shelburne’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Shelburne Bay Park, 103 acres with 3.4 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Shelburne Bay Park | 3.4 mi | 103 |
| 2. Shelburne Town Beach | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 84% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Shelburne.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Burlington Intl Ap weather station, 7 miles away, records that 88 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 96% of U.S. towns. The Burlington Intl Ap weather station, 7 miles away, records that about 8 days a year reach 90°: fewer than most of the country, but more than 90% of Vermont places with climate records.
Shelburne has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82° and January nights drop to 11°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Shelburne has about as many jobs (3,239) as working residents, but only 471 people both live and work here. 31.4% of workers work from home, against 16.9% across Vermont.
Most working residents leave Shelburne for work: only 15% work in town. Jobs based in Shelburne grew to 3,239 in 2023, 513 more than in 2013. Only 6 of the 71 Vermont towns we compare have a higher median household income than Shelburne.
| Shelburne | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $116,000 | $80,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 16% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.4% | 9.6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Violent crime is rare: 5 reported in 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Shelburne. Close and well known come first.
Big draw11 mi LakeLake Champlain
Big draw39 mi LandmarkFort Ticonderoga
in town MuseumShelburne Museum
39 mi MountainMount Marcy
24 mi MountainMount Mansfield
33 mi MountainWhiteface MountainLake Champlain: Copernicus Sentinel-2, ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo · Fort Ticonderoga: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Shelburne Museum: Storylanding, CC0 · Mount Marcy: Daniel Tripp, Public domain · Mount Mansfield: Original uploader was Calzarette (Joe Calzarette) at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Whiteface Mountain: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Shelburne
About 5 of every 100 Shelburne residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
5 places in Shelburne on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Shelburne.
Town in Vermont, United States
Shelburne is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Located along the shores of Lake Champlain, Shelburne's town center lies approximately 7 miles (11 km) south of the city center of Burlington, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population of Shelburne was 7,717. The main settlement of Shelburne in the center of town is a census-designated place (CDP), with a population of 6,178 at the 2020 census. Shelburne municipality has the highest median income in both Chittenden County and the Burlington metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Shelburne.
| Town | VT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelburne | #9 | A− | D | B− | A+ | A+ |
| South Burlington | #26 | B | D | D | A | A+ |
| Charlotte | #4 | A | D | — | A+ | A+ |
| St. George | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Hinesburg | #3 | A | C− | B+ | A+ | A+ |
Charlotte reports no FBI crime data of its own. St. George isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Shelburne with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Shelburne grades A− overall, better than 85% of U.S. towns and #9 of 71 in Vermont. It grades A+ for health, B− for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
8 notable people were born here, including Michael Dante DiMartino and Megan Nick.
