Living in Waterbury, VT

Washington County

Waterbury is the real, current, and genuinely famous home of Ben & Jerry's ice cream -- specifically, the original Ben & Jerry's factory, the only one open to the public, offering tours, a scoop shop, and the well-known Flavor Graveyard. Waterbury carries a real, genuine Central Vermont location directly between Montpelier (the state capital) and Stowe, giving it commuter-adjacent proximity to Stowe Mountain Resort at a meaningfully lower housing-cost premium than Stowe itself. Waterbury's population ran an estimated 5,434 at the town level (2025), with a genuinely balanced age distribution (19.8% senior, 21.9% under 18) rather than the dramatically elevated senior-population signal this batch's research found for Manchester, VT or Woodstock, VT. Housing carries a real, disclosed, and unusually wide cross-source spread this record does not force to one number, and crime runs genuinely, substantially low, though this record discloses one real, unresolved internal inconsistency within its own crime-research source honestly rather than smoothing it over.

Explore Waterbury in depth

Exploring the idea of moving?

We can connect you with a local real estate professional who knows the area -- no pressure, just a starting point.

Learn more

Housing

Median sale price$518,334

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate1.91%

Not independently sourced at the Washington 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 Waterbury-specific.

Want to know what your budget actually buys here?

Tell us a bit about what you're looking for and we'll connect you with someone local who can walk you through real numbers.

Get local guidance

The tradeoffs

Pros

A real, famous, genuinely distinctive local landmark: the original Ben & Jerry's factory, the only one open to public tours. A real, genuine Central Vermont location between Montpelier and Stowe, offering commuter-adjacent access to Stowe Mountain Resort at a real, disclosed lower housing-cost premium than Stowe itself. Genuinely, substantially low crime across most measures cited this pass. A genuinely balanced age distribution rather than a heavily senior-skewed population.

Cons

A real, unusually wide, disclosed cross-source spread on housing prices this record does not resolve to one confident number. Real, substantial ZIP-code-level property-tax variation within Waterbury itself. A real, disclosed, meaningfully elevated flood-exposure consideration tied to Waterbury's shared Winooski River-valley geography with Montpelier. A real, disclosed schools-performance research gap and one internally inconsistent crime-percentile figure this record flags rather than resolves.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits movers seeking genuine Central Vermont convenience -- proximity to both Montpelier and Stowe -- alongside Ben & Jerry's factory-adjacent character, at a real, disclosed lower housing-cost premium than Stowe itself.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for movers who need full price certainty before committing -- Waterbury's real, disclosed, unusually wide housing-price spread across sources means a prospective buyer should confirm current, address-specific listing data directly with a local agent rather than relying on any single headline figure. River-valley-adjacent buyers should also confirm current flood-zone data directly given Waterbury's shared Winooski River-valley geography with Montpelier.

Planning a move?

Tell us what you're looking for and we'll connect you with a local expert who can help you make it happen.

Talk to a local expert
Last reviewed: 2026-09-02. 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.