Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Strafford’s best subject grades are an A+ for history and an A− for the outdoors; its weakest is a C for walkability. Only 15 of Vermont’s 172 towns score lower on hazard risk. 20% of the land in Strafford is conserved, above both Vermont’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest place to walk is Kibling Hill Wildlife Management Area, 901 acres with 1.6 miles of trail. Strafford has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Strafford beats most towns.
Census counts: 844 in 1790, a low of 536 in 1970, 1,094 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 3 maps from 1896 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Vermont), ordered by how far Strafford is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Strafford, 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 Strafford.
2.2% of working residents work locally in Strafford, where Vermont’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 8%. Since 2013, Strafford has lost 23 jobs, to 89 in 2023. Strafford’s median household income is $111,000.
| Strafford | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $111,000 | $80,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.2% | 16% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.2% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 16% | 15% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Strafford School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newton SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 116 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
Strafford beats the Vermont average on 3 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 28% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Strafford. Among 72 Vermont towns, just 4 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Strafford.
| Strafford | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 32% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 23% |
| What stands out | Strafford | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 13.6% | 16.6% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.1% | 76.7% |
| More adults with arthritis | 34.4% | 27.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cobb Town Forest | 2 mi | 100 |
| 2. Kibling Hill Wildlife Management Area | 1.6 mi | 901 |
| 3. Clover Hill Wildlife Management Area | 0.4 mi | 489 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Strafford has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Strafford is 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 65% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Strafford.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Adults 18 to 34 are 15% of residents (22% statewide); children under 18 are 23% of residents (18% statewide). 53% of Strafford adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Among 72 Vermont towns, just 6 have a higher share of children under 18 than Strafford.
| Strafford | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 51.4 years | 43.7 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 53% | 40% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 19% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 22% | 18% |
57% women, 43% men
About 77 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.5 points). Across Vermont, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Strafford | VT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.9% | 9.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 15.2% | 8.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.7% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.2% | 11.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 5.3% | 12.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 17.6% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.1% | 14.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.4% | 13% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.7% | 8.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 1.8% | 5.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.2% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 10.3% | 15.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.4% | 8.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.1% | 25.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 27.2% | 18.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,100, single groups can be off by several points
Among 72 Vermont towns, just 7 have a higher share of households owning their home than Strafford.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Strafford. Close and well known come first.
28 mi Ski areaKillington Resort184 runs · 3,031 ft vertical
33 mi Ski areaSugarbush Resort142 runs · 2,569 ft vertical
39 mi Ski areaCannon Mountain104 runs · 2,201 ft vertical
37 mi Ski areaOkemo Mountain119 runs · 2,165 ft vertical
35 mi National forestGreen Mountain National Forest
39 mi State parkFranconia Notch State ParkKillington Resort: NHRHS2010, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sugarbush Resort: Mrtrek1701 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cannon Mountain: Mikespenard 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 · Franconia Notch State Park: Stephen Sokolowski, CC BY-SA 3.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Strafford
About 5 of every 100 Strafford residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
2 places in Strafford on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Vermont, United States
Strafford is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,094 at the 2020 census. The town of Strafford was created on August 12, 1761, by way of a royal charter which King George III of Great Britain issued to Governor Benning Wentworth of New Hampshire. The town was named after the Earl of Strafford. Its town house is one of the most famous in Vermont, sitting atop a hill at the end of the historic town common. Strafford was one of thirteen Vermont towns isolated by flooding caused by Hurricane Irene in 2011.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Home to 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
That is 4.7 years of the area's median household income ($83,269 across the Lebanon-Claremont, NH-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.
