City profile · Vermont · Census ACS 2023

Waterbury, VT

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Waterbury — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

1,728
Residents
$59,934
Median income
$332,900
Median home
$1,487
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Waterbury, VT

Waterbury is a city in Vermont with a population of 1,728 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $59,934 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 27.1%. Typical homes in Waterbury are valued around $332,900, and the median resident age is 40.7 years. About 54.8% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 64.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 7 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 75% from five years earlier.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Vermont registers 98.0 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,487 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $251 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 36.4 out of 100 (Very Low).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

1,728 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Vermont

Median Household Income

$59,934 /yr

Poverty 27.1%

Cost of Living Index

98.0 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Waterbury compare to other US cities?

Where Waterbury sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 35% higher than other cities
Home value 70% pricier than other cities
Median rent 73% pricier than other cities

Percentiles compare Waterbury against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Waterbury, VT Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Waterbury, VT. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Waterbury, VT — median $59,934/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Waterbury, VT — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 54.8%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 27.1%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 64.0%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
1,728
Median Income
$59,934
Median Home Value
$332,900
Median Age
40.7
Poverty Rate
27.1%
Labor force participation
64.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
54.8%

Schools

Total Schools
1
Public schools in this city

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) — annual residential permits authorized

📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
7
housing units authorized
Single-Family
7
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
4.1
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 4
2020 5
2021 10
2022 7

Permit volume increased 75% from 2019 to 2022.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
72.4%
Carpool
2.5%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
8.3%
Work from Home
16.9%

Based on 883 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Vermont — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$105
avg/month
Natural Gas
$98
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$48
avg/month
Total Utilities
$251
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Vermont state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Vermont state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
98.0
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,487/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
36.4 / 100
Very Low
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Waterbury, VT Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Waterbury, VT — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Waterbury compares to nearby Vermont cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Waterbury) plus the nearest peer cities in Vermont, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

VT

Waterbury

59.93% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$59,934
Brackets
2
Selected

VT

Johnson

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$170
Brackets
2
Selected

VT

Williamstown

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$160
Brackets
2
Selected

VT

Richford

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$160
Brackets
2
Census ACS 5-year FIPS VT NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Waterbury, VT?

What is the population of Waterbury, VT? +

Waterbury, VT has a population of 1,728 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Waterbury, VT? +

The median household income in Waterbury is $59,934 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Waterbury? +

Waterbury has a cost of living index of 98.0 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

What is the median home value in Waterbury, VT? +

The median home value in Waterbury is $332,900, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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