South ShaftsburyVT
Settled in 1831, this town now has 566 residents.
Is South Shaftsbury a good place to live?
39% of residents are 65 or older in South Shaftsbury, above both the Vermont town median (22%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). No town among the 72 in Vermont we compare has a higher median age than South Shaftsbury. South Shaftsbury has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
566 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Mount Greylock and 60 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around South Shaftsbury. Close and well known come first.
21 mi MountainMount Greylock
4 mi LandmarkBennington Battle Monument
16 mi MuseumClark Art Institute
38 mi Theme parkGreat Escape
14 mi Ski areaMount Snow119 runs · 1,648 ft vertical
17 mi MuseumMassachusetts Museum of Contemporary ArtPhoto credits
Mount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 3.0 · Bennington Battle Monument: Phil Boucher, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Clark Art Institute: Daderot, Public domain · Great Escape: Jared and Corin, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Mount Snow: William J Sisti from Morristown, NJ, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art: N-Lange.de, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Moving to South Shaftsbury: who provides what
South Shaftsbury is unincorporated, so Bennington County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in South Shaftsbury.
In South Shaftsbury, the average trip to work runs longer than in the typical Vermont or U.S. town
South Shaftsbury: 3.5% of residents live below the poverty line. Only 1% of working residents stay in South Shaftsbury for work; the rest commute out. In South Shaftsbury, the middle household income is $61,000. The top destinations are Bennington (46%), Manchester (8%) and Arlington (8%).
| South Shaftsbury | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 48 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.8% | 16% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 3.5% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $80,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
South Shaftsbury has a low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 78% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
A larger share of households are owner-occupiers in South Shaftsbury than in most of Vermont or the rest of the country
The typical South Shaftsbury home is worth about $264,000, down 3.2% in a year, 33% below the Vermont typical home.
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
In South Shaftsbury, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
The typical July afternoon high in South Shaftsbury is 80°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy South Shaftsbury is
Among 72 Vermont towns, just 6 have a lower share of adults who binge drink than South Shaftsbury. CDC measures, 31 in all: South Shaftsbury beats Vermont on 7 and trails on 3. 29% of adults have been diagnosed with depression here.
| South Shaftsbury | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 5.1% | 9.5% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 30% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 16% |
| What stands out | South Shaftsbury | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.1% | 9.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 5.3% | 8.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.8% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about South Shaftsbury
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of South Shaftsbury
About 0 of every 100 South Shaftsbury residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
99% of working residents leave South Shaftsbury for work
Where South Shaftsbury’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Questions about South Shaftsbury
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is South Shaftsbury, VT a good place to live?
South Shaftsbury has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.