Living in South Hero, Vermont: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 0.9% above the U.S. average in the Burlington-South Burlington metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 4.4 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for South Hero itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town1 public school. No public high school in town: the nearest is Colchester High School, about 8 miles away.
A hospital close byThe University of Vermont Health Network - Champl in Plattsburgh, about 9 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityBoston is about 195 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means South Hero meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

Tourist town. About 1 in 3 homes is a vacation or seasonal home, a sign of a visitor economy. More restaurants, shops and weekend events than locals alone could support, with the small-town basics intact.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $558,300U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 23%Grand Isle County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,439 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $127,434U.S.: $80,734
Typical property tax bill: $7,858 a yearVermont: $5,039
Homes built before 1940: 18%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 15%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 32%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 100.9U.S. average = 100 (the Burlington-South Burlington metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 23% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Burlington-South Burlington metro area, not South Hero alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 1,7262020: 1,668
Median age: 51.5 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 26%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 15%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 62%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 12%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (28%); professional and business services (14%); transportation, warehousing and utilities (8%)
Unemployment rate: 6%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 24 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 26%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 3%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: The University of Vermont Health Network - Champl, Plattsburgh, NY, about 9 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 2 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

1 public school in South Hero, run by South Hero School District. The nearest public high school is Colchester High School, about 8 miles away.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Vermont's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 81%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 93%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 11°F
July average high: 82°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 6 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 141 a year
Rain and melted snow: 35 inches a year
Snow: 50 inches a year
Elevation: 106 feet

Weather station: S Hero (less than a mile away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

The University of Vermont Health Network - ChamplEmergency room9

Schenectady, NYCity of 69,000130

Boston, MAMetro of 5 million195

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: The University of Vermont Health Network - Champl, Schenectady, Boston.

Grand Isle County is in a metro area of fewer than 250,000 people (USDA rural-urban code 3, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the South Hero Village Historic District.

Read about South Hero's history on Wikipedia.

Know South Hero?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Grand Isle, VT2,200 people, 6 miles
Colchester, VT17,600 people, 7 miles
Milton, VT10,600 people, 7 miles
Plattsburgh, NY19,700 people, 9 miles
Burlington, VT44,000 people, 10 miles
Winooski, VT8,200 people, 11 miles

Smaller places

Cumberland Head, NY (unincorporated)1,535 people, 8 miles
Plattsburgh West, NY (unincorporated)1,328 people, 10 miles
Peru, NY (unincorporated)1,965 people, 12 miles
Morrisonville, NY (unincorporated)1,950 people, 13 miles
Willsboro Point, NY (unincorporated)646 people, 15 miles
North Hero, VT970 people, 15 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.