Best Places05355, VT Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 05355, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
05355 ranks 15,449th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on tree cover by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 05355
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.
05355's strengths and weaknesses
Where 05355 ranks high
- Tree shadeBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 92% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 90% of zip codes
Where 05355 ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,392 a month, better than only 10% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 62 pleasant days a year, better than only 11% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 05355
A household needs to earn about $98,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 05355 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $82,330, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 05355's effective rate of 1.43%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 05355
05355 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 05355.
Who works in 05355, and how
Work in 05355 centers on construction and education. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 05355
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 05355.
What the weather is like in 05355, month by month
05355 sees roughly 62 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 84 degrees. January highs sit near 35, with lows near 16. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 26° | 16° |
| April | 60° | 46° | 34° |
| July | 84° | 71° | 58° |
| October | 65° | 52° | 40° |
Flying in and out of 05355
The nearest airport, Rutland/Southern Vermont Regional, is about 35 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Bradley International, about 76 miles away.
The best schools in and around 05355
Schools across 05355 average a B+, better than 71% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Wardsboro Central SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Westmoreland SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Chesterfield Central SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Top middle schools
- Walpole Elementary SchoolB · 47% proficient
Top high schools
- Fall Mountain Regional High SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 05355 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
05355 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 05355 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 05355
Is 05355 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 05355 ranks 15,449th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on tree cover, clean air, and civic engagement, and lowest on cell coverage and a weak job market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 05355 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $344,257. The overall cost of living runs about 13% above the national average. Set against a $82,330 median income, cost of living beats 31% of zip codes.
Is 05355 safe?
Yes, 05355 is safer than 77% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $234 per resident a year.
Compare 05355 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 05355. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 05355 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.
05355 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 05355: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 05355: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 05355: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 05355: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
05355 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.