Living in Colchester, VT

Chittenden County

Colchester is a real, current Burlington-metro suburb in Chittenden County, directly north of Burlington along Lake Champlain's Malletts Bay and Colchester Point shoreline -- Vermont's second-largest town/municipality by population, at 17,524 per the 2020 census. Colchester is real, current home to Saint Michael's College's 440-acre campus (approximately 1,323 students, fall 2024), though this record discloses the college's real, current, and genuinely concerning enrollment decline (down 37% since 2018) and June 2026 accreditation-risk warning letter honestly rather than treating the college as an unqualified asset. Housing runs a real, disclosed premium over neighboring Milton (a more-affordable Chittenden County town this project also profiles) while running below neighboring Williston -- an average home value near $492,088 and a median sale price near $500,000. Colchester's crime data runs genuinely two-sided (higher than 86% of Vermont's own cities and towns, yet not among the nation's highest), and Colchester was directly named in National Weather Service inundation warnings during Vermont's real, documented July 2023 flood event, part of the federal Chittenden County disaster declaration that also covered Williston and Milton.

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Housing

Median sale price$500,000

Median sale price ~$500K (3 months through May 2026, -1.0% YoY).

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate1.62%

Not independently sourced at the Chittenden County level this session. Vermont's top state income tax rate is 8.75%. See the Vermont hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Colchester-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

A real, genuine Burlington-metro bedroom-community suburb with real Lake Champlain lake access (Malletts Bay, Colchester Point), Saint Michael's College as a local institutional anchor, and ready access to Chittenden County's real, current, low (2.3%) unemployment rate. Colchester's own cited property tax rate runs close to Vermont's statewide comparison figure and below the Chittenden County median, and housing runs below neighboring Williston.

Cons

Colchester's crime rate runs higher than 86% of Vermont's own cities and towns per NeighborhoodScout, even if not among the nation's highest. Saint Michael's College -- a real local anchor -- carries a real, current, disclosed enrollment decline and accreditation-risk warning. Colchester was directly named in real, documented July 2023 flood warnings, and housing runs meaningfully above the national comparison figure and above neighboring Milton.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits families and young professionals drawn to a genuine Lake Champlain-adjacent Burlington-metro suburb with ready access to Chittenden County's strong job market, plus outdoor-recreation-minded movers drawn to Malletts Bay and the broader lake.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for movers prioritizing the lowest available Chittenden County crime rate (Colchester's own rate runs higher than most VT cities/towns), or for those specifically relying on Saint Michael's College's continued, unqualified institutional stability given its real, disclosed recent enrollment and accreditation challenges.

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-28. Independent research; see individual metric entries above for source attribution. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.