Best Places05354, VT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 05354, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
05354 ranks 15,536th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and property taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 05354
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
05354's strengths and weaknesses
Where 05354 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Short commute21.1 minutes each way, better than 80% of zip codes
Where 05354 ranks low
- Low property taxBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,392 a month, better than only 10% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 67 pleasant days a year, better than only 19% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 05354
A household needs to earn about $84,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 05354 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $85,570, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 05354's effective rate of 1.76%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 05354
05354's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 05354.
Who works in 05354, and how
Work in 05354 centers on construction and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 91%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 05354
05354 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 99% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 05354 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 05354, month by month
05354 sees roughly 67 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 36, with lows near 15. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 25° | 15° |
| April | 60° | 45° | 33° |
| July | 85° | 71° | 59° |
| October | 65° | 51° | 39° |
Flying in and out of 05354
The nearest airport, Worcester Regional, is about 47 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Bradley International, about 57 miles away.
The best schools in and around 05354
Schools across 05354 average a C−, better than 20% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Northfield ElementaryC · 32% proficient
- Vernon Elementary SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Hinsdale Elementary SchoolD+ · 23% proficient
Top middle schools
- Hinsdale Middle High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Pioneer Valley RegionalC+ · 37% proficient
- Hinsdale High SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 05354 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
05354 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 05354 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 05354
Is 05354 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 05354 ranks 15,536th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, clean air, and cheap car insurance, and lowest on property taxes and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 05354 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $285,137. The overall cost of living runs about 1% above the national average. Set against a $85,570 median income, cost of living beats 59% of zip codes.
Is 05354 safe?
Yes, 05354 is safer than 60% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $284 per resident a year.
Compare 05354 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 05354. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 05354 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
05354 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 05354: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 05354: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 05354: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 05354: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
05354 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.