Vermont’s Safest Cities of 2026

See crime rates for the safest cities.

According to our most recent State of Safety report, people in Vermont hardly worry about crime or security. However, Vermonters' self-reported violent crime and property crime experiences have risen above national averages.

Meanwhile, most of Vermont's safest cities have seen year-over-year declines in both property crime and violent crime. 

The violent crime rate in Vermont is 2.98 incidents per 1,000 people, which is higher than the national average of 4.43. We weren't able to report a statewide violent crime rate last year due to insufficient data, but in our 2024 report, Vermont reported a lower violent crime rate of 2.4.

Property crime in The Green Mountain State also increased in recent years, rising from 17.1 incidents per 1,000 people in 2024 to 27.19 incidents in this year's report. That's higher than the national property crime rate of 22.89. Interestingly, Vermont went from having the fifteenth lowest property crime rate to the fourteenth highest in just two years. 

Vermonters who took our State of Safety survey report a slightly higher confidence level than the year before. About 65% say they feel safe in the state, up from 60%. That's the seventh highest confidence level nationwide.

About 36% of Vermont residents say they worry about crime on a daily basis. Although that's one of the lowest percentages in the country, it's up from 29% the year before. 

Vermonters are the least likely to experience package theft nationwide and, understandably, among those least likely to worry about it. Property crime experiences and concerns are also down in Vermont. 

• 24% said they experienced a property crime in the 12 months prior to our survey, down from 33% the last two years in a row (US 21%).  
• Vermonters are more likely to experience property crime than other New Englanders. 
• Concern about property crime fell from 48% to 40% (US 46%).
• 25% said they experienced a package theft in the 12 months prior to our survey, down from 29% the year before (US 31%). 
• Concern about package theft fell from 37% to 30% year over year (US 44%). 
• Residents in only 2 other states worry about package theft less than Vermonters: South Dakota (28%) and Maine (24%).
• 28% said they use no property protection.
• Vermont residents prefer to protect their properties with security cameras (39%) and guard dogs (28%). 
• 28% said they use no property protection.

Vermonters reported a substantial increase in first-hand violent crime experiences year over year. Unsurprisingly, the percentage of Vermonters who worry about violent crime on a daily basis also increased during this time period.  

• 15% said they experienced a violent crime in the 12 months prior to our survey, up from 8% the year before (US 12%). 
• Concern about violent crime increased from 39% to 42% year over year (US 55%). 
• 31% of Vermonters said they use personal protection. 
• Vermont residents prefer to protect themselves with pepper spray (48%), pocket knives (39%), and firearms (32%). 

• 7% of participants said they experienced gun violence during the 12 months prior to the survey, down from 8% the year before (US 9%).
• Concern about gun violence rose from 38% to 49% year over year (US 55%). 
• Vermont was one of only five states to experience zero mass shooting incidents in 2025.

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• 27 cities met the criteria for ranking this year.
• Reporting zero crime, Castleton is the safest city in Vermont for the second year in a row.
• Northfield's violent crime and property crime have decreased for two years in a row. 
• Shelburne's violent crime rate is 0.6 for the fourth year in a row.
• Stowe's property crime has declined 35% in the last two years.
• No murders were reported in Vermont's safest cities.
• Swanton, Barre Town, and Springfield reported 1 robbery each. The rest of Vermont's safest cities reported zero robberies.
• Castleton and Randolph reported zero burglaries. 
• No motor vehicle thefts were reported in Castleton and Northfield. 
• Castleton, Randolph, Swanton, and Hinesburg reported zero rapes. 

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