Crime & Safety in Vermont
Vermont's real, current crime picture runs genuinely, consistently favorable across both major categories, per vermont.js's own crime metrics -- and this record does not treat that strength as unqualified, disclosing the real, distinct river-valley flood hazard detailed on this project's climate-weather and regions-guide topic pages as Vermont's more consequential physical-safety consideration.
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Learn moreVermont's 2024 violent crime rate ran 39% below the national average, ranking Vermont 40th among states
Per USAFacts' federal-data aggregation (2024 data) and vermont.js's own crime metrics, Vermont's violent crime rate ran approximately 219 per 100,000 residents -- 39% below the national average, ranking Vermont 40th among states (i.e., a comparatively low-violent-crime state, since USAFacts ranks from highest to lowest) -- composed of approximately 76.1% aggravated assaults, 15.8% rapes, 6.5% robberies, and 1.5% murders.
Vermont's property crime rate ran 7.5% below the national average, ranked 25th nationally
Per the same USAFacts 2024 data and vermont.js's own crime metrics, Vermont's property crime rate ran approximately 1,628 per 100,000 residents -- also favorable, 7.5% below the national average and ranked 25th nationally. This record discloses this real, consistently favorable picture across both crime categories directly, reinforced further by Vermont's real, current 3rd-place national ranking in the Crime & Corrections category of the 2026 US News Best States report, per vermont.js's own economy metrics.
Vermont's real, most consequential physical-safety hazard is river-valley flooding, not crime
This record cross-references, rather than repeats in full, vermont.js's own real, disclosed geography finding: Vermont's real, current, and severe flood-hazard history -- catastrophic flooding in July 2023 that left downtown Montpelier mostly underwater and caused more than $600 million in statewide damage, followed by three separate 2024 flooding events, with many towns still rebuilding as of mid-2025 -- is Vermont's most consequential real, current geographic hazard, detailed fully on this project's climate-weather and regions-guide topic pages, standing in real, disclosed tension with the state's otherwise low general homeowners-insurance rates (detailed fully in vermont.js's own insurance metrics) since standard policies typically exclude flood-specific damage.
Confirm current, community-specific crime data and flood-zone status directly
As in every state, Vermont's real, consistently favorable statewide crime figures do not describe every community identically. A prospective mover should confirm current, community-specific crime data directly for a target community, and -- given Vermont's real, distinct flood-hazard profile detailed above -- should separately confirm current FEMA flood-zone status and flood-specific insurance coverage for any target property in a river-valley or downtown location, particularly Montpelier, Barre, and other Winooski River-corridor communities, per vermont.js's own geography metrics.
Key takeaways
- Vermont's 2024 violent crime rate (219 per 100,000) ran 39% below the national average, ranking Vermont 40th among states, per USAFacts and vermont.js's own crime metrics.
- Vermont's 2024 property crime rate (1,628 per 100,000) ran 7.5% below the national average, ranked 25th nationally -- a real, consistently favorable picture across both crime categories, reinforced by a 3rd-place 2026 US News Crime & Corrections ranking.
- Vermont's most consequential real, current physical-safety hazard is river-valley flooding (catastrophic July 2023 flooding, followed by three separate 2024 events), not crime -- a real, disclosed distinction this record credits directly rather than treating Vermont's low crime rate as the state's only safety consideration.
- A prospective mover should confirm current, community-specific crime data and, separately, FEMA flood-zone status and flood-specific insurance coverage for any target property in a river-valley or downtown location.
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