These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Vermont For 2023

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

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).

2. Brattleboro

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.

3. Winooski

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

4. Barre

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

5. Burlington

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.

6. St. Johnsbury

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!

7. South Burlington

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.

8. Montpelier

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.

9. Rutland

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.

10. Bennington

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

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.

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.