Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 8,239, settled in 1879.
Winooski's schools rank among the lowest in Vermont on tests and graduation. Overall it grades C−, ranked 61st of 71 in Vermont. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 93% of the country and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 98% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $423K for a typical one and 4.5 times the Burlington metro’s $93K median household income. Winooski’s trail density is 3.5 miles per square mile, above both Vermont’s towns (0.6) and U.S. towns (0.4). On the outdoors, just 8 of Vermont’s 172 towns do better. Casavant Natural Area, at 129 acres with 1.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Winooski beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| J. F. Kennedy Elementary School | PK–5 | 421 |
| St. Francis Xavier School | PK–8 | 204 |
| Winooski Middle School | 6–8 | 146 |
15.1% of the town is conserved land, across 9 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Vermont), ordered by how far Winooski is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D− for schools (better than 1%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,833 in 1880, 7,997 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 4 maps from 1919 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Winooski. Close and well known come first.
Big draw8 mi LakeLake Champlain
19 mi MountainMount Mansfield
9 mi MuseumShelburne Museum
37 mi MountainWhiteface Mountain
20 mi Ski areaStowe Mountain Resort144 runs · 2,390 ft vertical
14 mi Canyon & gorgeAusable ChasmLake Champlain: Copernicus Sentinel-2, ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo · Mount Mansfield: Original uploader was Calzarette (Joe Calzarette) at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Shelburne Museum: Storylanding, CC0 · Whiteface Mountain: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Stowe Mountain Resort: Stevage, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ausable Chasm: Alan Prusila / Alanp35 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Winooski, 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 Winooski.
Winooski gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and has less heart disease than most of Vermont, but it trails South Burlington and its other neighbors on schools.
5.3 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. More trails than any other town in Vermont.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gilbrook Natural Area | 1.7 mi | 41 |
| 2. Casavant Natural Area | 1.5 mi | 129 |
| 3. Memorial Park | 0.5 mi | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Each of its 3 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D−, South Burlington highest at A.
Its public schools are run by the Winooski Incorporated School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| J. F. Kennedy Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 421 | D− |
| Winooski High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 182 | D− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Vermont is heart disease: 4% of its 6,749 adults have heart disease, against 6.3% statewide.
23% of adults have high blood pressure in Winooski, where Vermont’s towns sit at 32% and U.S. towns at 35%. 6% of adults have diabetes in Winooski. Winooski beats the Vermont average on 12 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 7.
| Winooski | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 32% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 6% | 9.1% | 12% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 30% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 36% |
| What stands out | Winooski | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4% | 6.3% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.5% | 9.9% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 7.4% | 5.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 305 to 210 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Winooski’s property crime rate is 22.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Winooski | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 22.1 per 1,000 residents | 13.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.6 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Essex Junction 1 N weather station records that 86 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 95% of U.S. towns. The Essex Junction 1 N weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 160 days: shorter than most of the country, but longer than 88% of Vermont places with climate records.
Winooski has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Winooski is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here grew from 2,053 in 2013 to 2,897.
Most working residents leave Winooski for work: only 7% work in town. Jobs based in Winooski grew to 2,897 in 2023, 844 more than in 2013. 14% of Winooski residents live below the poverty line.
| Winooski | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 9.2% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 16% | 15% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.2% | 16% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No town among the 71 in Vermont we compare has a lower share of households owning their home than Winooski. The typical Winooski home is worth about $423,000, down 0.8% in a year, 8% above the Vermont typical home.
| Winooski | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 35% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,643 a month | $1,133 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 55% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Winooski since 2012.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
3 within 15 miles of the center of Winooski
About 12 of every 100 Winooski residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
7,267 counted in 2010 and 7,997 in 2020; an estimated 8,239 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
8 places in Winooski on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Winooski.
City in Vermont, United States
Winooski is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Located on the Winooski River, as of the 2020 U.S. census the municipal population was 7,997. The city is the most densely populated municipality in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is the smallest of Vermont's 10 cities by area, though the city of Vergennes has the smallest population. As part of the Burlington metropolitan area, Vermont, it is bordered by Burlington, Colchester, and South Burlington.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Winooski.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Burlington (C+) is closest.
| Town | VT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winooski | #61 | C− | D | C− | D− | A |
| Burlington | #43 | C+ | D | D− | B+ | A |
| Colchester | #16 | A− | C− | C+ | A | A |
| South Burlington | #26 | B | D | D | A | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Winooski grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #61 of 71 in Vermont. It grades A for health, C− for safety and D− for schools, and has the most trail per square mile in the state. Schools is its weak spot, with a D−.
The public schools Winooski children attend trail 100% of Vermont districts on state tests and graduation, a D− School Grade.
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.
4 notable people were born here, including Larry Bissonnette and Peter Clavelle.
