Great news, everyone! Vermont is the safest state in the country, beating out our New England neighbor, Maine (ha!). Safety is, of course, always important, and Vermont prides itself on a stellar record of low criminality. But, there are still occasional violent crimes that transpire throughout the state. This article explores the ten most dangerous cities in Vermont thanks to our friends at RoadSnacks compiled with data from 2020/2021. Keep in mind that the ranking is based on violent crimes per 1,000 residents, so this scale will, inherently, be a bit distorted for smaller towns. With that being said, here are the ten most violent cities in Vermont:

  1. St. Albans

Doug Kerr/flickr St. Albans comes in at number one on the list with 427 violent crimes per 100,000 inhabitants. Residents have a 1 in 133 chance of being the victim of a violent crime here in 2020, which is still significantly better than the national average (seriously, even the “dangerous” parts of the state are pretty safe). Saint Albans City, St Albans City, VT, USA

  1. Brattleboro

Ken Gallager/wikipedia Brattleboro had 390 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2020. Residents had a 1 in 24 chance of being the victim of theft or robbery. Brattleboro, VT 05301, USA

  1. Winooski

wikipedia At number three, Winooski witnessed 31 violent crimes in 2020, which amounted to 422 violent crimes committed per 100,000 inhabitants. Winooski, VT, USA

  1. Barre

DenisTangneyJr/Getty Images With a population of just over 8,400 inhabitants, Barre has the highest violent crime rate of 554 per 100,000 residents. Barre, VT 05641, USA

  1. Burlington

management/tripadvisor Fifth on the list of Vermont’s most dangerous cities is Burlington. The largest city in Vermont has over 42,000 residents and saw 151 violent crimes in 2020, which was 352 violent crimes perpetrated per 100,000 residents. Burlington, VT, USA

  1. St. Johnsbury

Ken Lund/Flickr The little populated town of St. Johnsbury registered 309 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, which is actually up six spots since last year. Yikes! Saint Johnsbury, St Johnsbury, VT, USA

  1. South Burlington

Doug Kerr/Flickr One of the larger cities in Vermont, South Burlington was actually dead last on this list in terms of violent crime in 2020. There were 33 total violent crimes in South Burlington in 2020, but with 19,690 residents, the rate per 100,000 was 167. South Burlington, VT, USA

  1. Montpelier

Doug Kerr/Flickr Montpelier has barely over 7,000 residents, but there were 16 violent crimes in the town in 2020, bringing the rate per 100,000 to 218. Montpelier, VT 05602, USA

  1. Rutland

Doug Kerr/Flickr One of the larger cities on this list, Rutland, has a violent crime rate of 294 per 100,000 residents. The city saw 44 violent crimes in 2020, making it one of Vermont’s most dangerous larger cities. Rutland, VT 05701, USA

  1. Bennington

Doug Kerr/Flickr Bennington, with just over 14,800 occupants, saw 201 violent crimes per 100,000 people. The aggregate number of violent crimes was 30. Bennington, VT 05201, USA

As with visiting any state, it is always important to be aware of violent areas in cities. With that being said, Vermont is an incredibly safe state with relatively minimal violent crimes in comparison to other states. This is partly why Vermont is such a liveable place to reside and a great destination for travelers.

Doug Kerr/flickr

St. Albans comes in at number one on the list with 427 violent crimes per 100,000 inhabitants. Residents have a 1 in 133 chance of being the victim of a violent crime here in 2020, which is still significantly better than the national average (seriously, even the “dangerous” parts of the state are pretty safe).

Saint Albans City, St Albans City, VT, USA

Ken Gallager/wikipedia

Brattleboro had 390 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2020. Residents had a 1 in 24 chance of being the victim of theft or robbery.

Brattleboro, VT 05301, USA

wikipedia

At number three, Winooski witnessed 31 violent crimes in 2020, which amounted to 422 violent crimes committed per 100,000 inhabitants.

Winooski, VT, USA

DenisTangneyJr/Getty Images

With a population of just over 8,400 inhabitants, Barre has the highest violent crime rate of 554 per 100,000 residents.

Barre, VT 05641, USA

management/tripadvisor

Fifth on the list of Vermont’s most dangerous cities is Burlington. The largest city in Vermont has over 42,000 residents and saw 151 violent crimes in 2020, which was 352 violent crimes perpetrated per 100,000 residents.

Burlington, VT, USA

Ken Lund/Flickr

The little populated town of St. Johnsbury registered 309 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, which is actually up six spots since last year. Yikes!

Saint Johnsbury, St Johnsbury, VT, USA

Doug Kerr/Flickr

One of the larger cities in Vermont, South Burlington was actually dead last on this list in terms of violent crime in 2020. There were 33 total violent crimes in South Burlington in 2020, but with 19,690 residents, the rate per 100,000 was 167.

South Burlington, VT, USA

Montpelier has barely over 7,000 residents, but there were 16 violent crimes in the town in 2020, bringing the rate per 100,000 to 218.

Montpelier, VT 05602, USA

One of the larger cities on this list, Rutland, has a violent crime rate of 294 per 100,000 residents. The city saw 44 violent crimes in 2020, making it one of Vermont’s most dangerous larger cities.

Rutland, VT 05701, USA

Bennington, with just over 14,800 occupants, saw 201 violent crimes per 100,000 people. The aggregate number of violent crimes was 30.

Bennington, VT 05201, USA

What are your thoughts on the cities represented in this list? Do you agree that statistics are sometimes misleading? Share a comment! We are keen on your opinions.

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The OIYS Visitor Center

Most Dangerous Cities in Vermont August 03, 2022 Tori Jane

What are the most dangerous towns in Vermont?  

Ah, Vermont: it’s ridiculously beautiful. In fact, we’d say it’s easily one of the most beautiful places in the United States. Unfortunately, though, that doesn’t mean it’s totally perfect and crime-free; there are still some cities and towns in Vermont that are statistically more dangerous than the others. Sometimes, it seems like the same cities and towns make it onto the list every year – and sometimes, there’s one or two in there that will surprise you. At the time of this writing, the most dangerous towns in Vermont in terms of per-capita crimes are:

St. Albans Brattleboro Winooski Barre Burlington St. Johnsbury

  2. What are some dangerous places to avoid in Vermont?   Let’s get one thing straight: there are no places in Vermont that should be avoided outright. Sure, there are some small towns in Vermont where you’ll want to make sure your door is locked at night and that your car isn’t unlocked, but that’s good practice for just about everywhere all over the nation. Vermont as a whole has much lower crime rates than the vast majority of the United States, meaning that even its “most dangerous” places aren’t all that bad. Just exercise good judgment, and you won’t need to avoid anywhere in this beautiful little state.   3. What are some of the dangers of living in Vermont?   Life in Vermont is pretty wonderful, but it’s not without its risks. There are lots of dangers of living in Vermont that come not from humans but from the natural world, like the risk of extreme cold in the winter. Sometimes temperatures can drop below freezing and present very life-threatening hazards to anyone caught without a source of warmth. Oh, and we have what’s called a “mud season” when everything is… well, muddy, and sometimes it can cause accidents! It is, however, still the safest state in the nation – so we’ve got that going for us!  

The OIYS Visitor Center

Most Dangerous Cities in Vermont

August 03, 2022

Tori Jane

What are the most dangerous towns in Vermont?  

Ah, Vermont: it’s ridiculously beautiful. In fact, we’d say it’s easily one of the most beautiful places in the United States. Unfortunately, though, that doesn’t mean it’s totally perfect and crime-free; there are still some cities and towns in Vermont that are statistically more dangerous than the others. Sometimes, it seems like the same cities and towns make it onto the list every year – and sometimes, there’s one or two in there that will surprise you. At the time of this writing, the most dangerous towns in Vermont in terms of per-capita crimes are:

St. Albans Brattleboro Winooski Barre Burlington St. Johnsbury

  2. What are some dangerous places to avoid in Vermont?   Let’s get one thing straight: there are no places in Vermont that should be avoided outright. Sure, there are some small towns in Vermont where you’ll want to make sure your door is locked at night and that your car isn’t unlocked, but that’s good practice for just about everywhere all over the nation. Vermont as a whole has much lower crime rates than the vast majority of the United States, meaning that even its “most dangerous” places aren’t all that bad. Just exercise good judgment, and you won’t need to avoid anywhere in this beautiful little state.   3. What are some of the dangers of living in Vermont?   Life in Vermont is pretty wonderful, but it’s not without its risks. There are lots of dangers of living in Vermont that come not from humans but from the natural world, like the risk of extreme cold in the winter. Sometimes temperatures can drop below freezing and present very life-threatening hazards to anyone caught without a source of warmth. Oh, and we have what’s called a “mud season” when everything is… well, muddy, and sometimes it can cause accidents! It is, however, still the safest state in the nation – so we’ve got that going for us!  

The OIYS Visitor Center

The OIYS Visitor Center

Ah, Vermont: it’s ridiculously beautiful. In fact, we’d say it’s easily one of the most beautiful places in the United States. Unfortunately, though, that doesn’t mean it’s totally perfect and crime-free; there are still some cities and towns in Vermont that are statistically more dangerous than the others. Sometimes, it seems like the same cities and towns make it onto the list every year – and sometimes, there’s one or two in there that will surprise you. At the time of this writing, the most dangerous towns in Vermont in terms of per-capita crimes are:

  • St. Albans
  • Brattleboro
  • Winooski
  • Barre
  • Burlington
  • St. Johnsbury

 

  1. What are some dangerous places to avoid in Vermont?  

Let’s get one thing straight: there are no places in Vermont that should be avoided outright. Sure, there are some small towns in Vermont where you’ll want to make sure your door is locked at night and that your car isn’t unlocked, but that’s good practice for just about everywhere all over the nation. Vermont as a whole has much lower crime rates than the vast majority of the United States, meaning that even its “most dangerous” places aren’t all that bad. Just exercise good judgment, and you won’t need to avoid anywhere in this beautiful little state.  

  1. What are some of the dangers of living in Vermont?  

Life in Vermont is pretty wonderful, but it’s not without its risks. There are lots of dangers of living in Vermont that come not from humans but from the natural world, like the risk of extreme cold in the winter. Sometimes temperatures can drop below freezing and present very life-threatening hazards to anyone caught without a source of warmth. Oh, and we have what’s called a “mud season” when everything is… well, muddy, and sometimes it can cause accidents! It is, however, still the safest state in the nation – so we’ve got that going for us!