Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Sunderland’s best subject grades are an A for health, an A+ for civic life, and an A− for the outdoors; its weakest is a C− for hazard risk. Sunderland’s July high is 74°F, where Vermont’s towns sit at 80°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. Only 5 of Vermont’s 172 towns score lower on hazard risk. 78% of the land in Sunderland is conserved, above both Vermont’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Green Mountain National Forest, at 21,839 acres with 21.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. On civic life, just 15 of Vermont’s 165 towns do better. Sunderland has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Sunderland beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Vermont), ordered by how far Sunderland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 414 in 1790, a low of 375 in 1930, 1,056 in 2020. The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 4 maps from 1894 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sunderland, 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 Sunderland.
32 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Green Mountain National Forest | 21.4 mi | 21,839 |
| 2. Lye Brook Wilderness | 6.4 mi | 8,094 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunderland Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 58 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests
Sunderland beats the Vermont average on 5 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 29% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Sunderland.
| Sunderland | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 27% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 19% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 30% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Sunderland | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.9% | 5.7% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.1% | 9.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.1% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 2011, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sunderland.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Sunderland has cold, snowy winters and cool summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in Sunderland is 9°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Sunderland for work: only 6% work in town. Jobs based in Sunderland grew to 356 in 2023, 214 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Manchester (23%), Arlington (18%) and Bennington (17%).
| Sunderland | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 5.6% | 16% | 8% |
| Median household income | $89,000 | $80,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 12% | 15% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Children under 18 are 24% of residents (18% statewide); people 65 and older are 17% of residents (22% statewide). Among 72 Vermont towns, just 5 have a higher share of children under 18 than Sunderland. 41% of Sunderland adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Sunderland | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 24% | 19% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 22% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 41% | 40% | 29% |
| Median age | 40.8 years | 43.7 years | 40.5 years |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.7 points. Across Vermont, 50.4% of residents are women.
| Sunderland | VT | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.4% | 9.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 18.3% | 8.8% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 16.2% | 10% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 4.6% | 11.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.8% | 12.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.7% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.3% | 14.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.1% | 13% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.6% | 8.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3% | 5.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.8% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.3% | 15.8% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.5% | 8.6% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.5% | 25.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.9% | 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
The typical Sunderland home is worth about $386,000, down 0.9% in a year, close to the Vermont typical home. Among 72 Vermont towns, just 4 have a higher share of households owning their home than Sunderland. Sunderland’s median rent is $1,413 a month.
| Sunderland | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 92% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,413 a month | $1,135 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sunderland. Close and well known come first.
31 mi MountainMount Greylock
40 mi LandmarkFort William Henry
37 mi Theme parkGreat Escape
11 mi Ski areaMount Snow119 runs · 1,648 ft vertical
8 mi Ski areaStratton Mountain Resort106 runs · 1,899 ft vertical
27 mi MuseumClark Art InstituteMount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 3.0 · Fort William Henry: IrisKawling at en.wikipedia, 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 · Stratton Mountain Resort: Rudi Riet from Washington, DC, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Clark Art Institute: Daderot, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Sunderland
About 3 of every 100 Sunderland residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
3 notable people were born in Sunderland.
Town in Vermont, United States
Sunderland is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,056 at the 2020 census. It is home to the mail-order company Orvis.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 5.3 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.
3 notable people were born here, including Frances Margaret Allen and John Pease Sanderson.
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