Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,325, settled in 1763.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Stowe grades B+ overall, ranked 23rd of 71 in Vermont. Residents are healthier than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and its public schools beat 85% of Vermont towns on state tests and graduation. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $1.0 million for a typical one and 13.8 times the county’s $75K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 90% of U.S. towns, with 4 places on the National Register. 49% of working residents work locally in Stowe, above both Vermont’s towns (16%) and U.S. towns (8%). The biggest place to walk is Mount Mansfield State Forest, 9,932 acres with 28.6 miles of trail. On the outdoors, just 7 of Vermont’s 172 towns do better.
Where Stowe beats most towns.
Census counts: 316 in 1800, 5,223 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1914 and 4 maps from 1919 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Vermont), ordered by how far Stowe is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Stowe, 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 Stowe.
Stowe draws workers from Morristown and beyond, has more trail for its size than nearly any town in Vermont and gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns.
At 13.8 years of the county’s $75K median household income, the typical home (about $1.03M) costs more against local pay than in any other Vermont town; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; Underhill is next at $575K.
Typical home values rose 6.8% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Stowe is $1,458 a month.
| Stowe | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,458 a month | $1,133 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 79% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.03M.
Its public schools are run by the Stowe Town School District.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stowe Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 347 | – |
| Stowe High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 225 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
At 2.5 miles of trail per square mile, it ranks #3 of 70 Vermont towns. Its 21,301 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in any other Vermont town.
Stowe’s trail density is 2.5 miles per square mile. 179 miles of trail in 15 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mount Mansfield State Forest | 28.6 mi | 9,932 |
| 2. Sterling Forest | 13.6 mi | 1,533 |
| 3. Cady Hill Forest | 10.4 mi | 313 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
27% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Stowe. Stowe beats the Vermont average on 7 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 14% of adults report frequent mental distress in Stowe.
| Stowe | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.1% | 12% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 7.8% | 9.1% | 12% |
| What stands out | Stowe | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.3% | 9.2% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 5.2% | 6.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
4,242 jobs are based in Stowe, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Jobs based in Stowe grew to 4,242 in 2023, 785 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Morristown (9%), Burlington (7%) and Waterbury (3%).
| Stowe | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $94,000 | $80,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Jeffersonville weather station, 7 miles away, records that 139 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 99% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 77.7°, cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 7.1°.
Stowe has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Only 6 of the 71 Vermont towns we compare have a lower July high than Stowe.
| Stowe | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 78°F | 80°F | 85°F |
| January low | 7°F | 10°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 18 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Stowe.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Stowe. Close and well known come first.
Big draw31 mi LakeLake Champlain
6 mi MountainMount Mansfield
in town Ski areaStowe Mountain Resort144 runs · 2,390 ft vertical
6 mi Ski areaSmugglers' Notch Resort110 runs · 2,533 ft vertical
37 mi LakeLake Willoughby
26 mi Ski areaSugarbush Resort142 runs · 2,569 ft verticalLake Champlain: Copernicus Sentinel-2, ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo · Mount Mansfield: Original uploader was Calzarette (Joe Calzarette) at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Stowe Mountain Resort: Stevage, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Smugglers' Notch Resort: Jrclark (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Willoughby: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sugarbush Resort: Mrtrek1701 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Stowe; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Stowe residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
4,314 counted in 2010 and 5,223 in 2020; an estimated 5,325 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
4 places in Stowe on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Stowe.
Town in Vermont, United States
Stowe is a town in Lamoille County, Vermont, United States. The population was 5,223 at the 2020 census. The town lies on Vermont Routes 108 and 100. It is nicknamed "The Ski Capital of the East" and is home to Stowe Mountain Resort, a ski facility with terrain on Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in Vermont, and Spruce Peak.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Stowe.
| Town | VT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stowe | #23 | B+ | D− | B+ | A | A+ |
| Morristown | #27 | B | C− | C+ | A | A− |
| Worcester | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Waterbury | #10 | A− | C− | — | A | A+ |
| Underhill | #24 | B+ | D | — | A | A+ |
| Cambridge | #54 | C− | D | — | D | A |
Waterbury, Underhill and Cambridge report no FBI crime data of their own. Worcester isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Stowe with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Stowe grades B+ overall, better than 68% of U.S. towns and #23 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 Joseph Dutton and Elle Anderson.
