Berkshire, Vermont

Town in Franklin County · population 1,547 (2020 Census)

Median home: $244,600
Household income: $71,406
Jan low / Jul high: 8° / 82°
Snow a year: 83 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 2
Median age: 31.6

Berkshire is a town of 1,547 people in Franklin County, Vermont. The median home is worth $244,600, below the typical Vermont town ($278,700). It ranks easier by car than 94% of Vermont towns, better for cycling than 76% of Vermont towns.

How Berkshire ranks

Percentile among Vermont towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Vermont towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Berkshire is worth $244,600, below the typical Vermont town ($278,700). Homes cost about 3.4 times the median household income of $71,406, which is more affordable than 65% of Vermont towns. Median rent is $1,525 a month. 77.3% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Vermont towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Berkshire	Typical Vermont town
Median home value	$244,600	$278,700
Median rent	$1,525	$1,117
Median household income	$71,406	$76,895
Home value ÷ income	3.4×	3.6×
Homeownership	77.3%	81.6%
Median year built	1979	1976
Seasonal / vacation homes	4.8%	—

Who lives in Berkshire

People	Berkshire	Typical Vermont town
Median age	31.6	45.7
Age 65 and over	14.8%	22.2%
Under 18	27.2%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	22.0%	38.9%
Below the poverty line	14.6%	8.6%
Veterans	7.6%	—
Born outside the U.S.	1.8%	—
Work from home	12.1%	14.9%
Average commute	32.2 min	25.2 min
Homes with broadband	78.6%	89.3%

Weather in Berkshire

July highs average 81.5°F and January lows 7.8°F. About 40.8 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 83.3 inches of snow (typical Vermont town: 84.3 in). Expect about 4 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 158 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Enosburg Falls station (5.4 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

2 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Berkshire since 1950, compared with 2 for the typical Vermont town. 2 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F2, struck on June 13, 1961 about 9.1 miles from the town center. The most recent was on June 13, 1961.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 19 times; the largest was 1.75 inches on June 18, 2011.

Severe weather in Franklin County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Franklin County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 4 deaths recorded.

Franklin County has been included in 30 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, hurricane, biological.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
August 8, 2024	Tropical Storm	EM-3609: Tropical Depression Debby
April 19, 2024	Severe Storm	DR-4770: Severe Winter Storm
July 14, 2023	Flood	DR-4720: Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides
July 10, 2023	Flood	EM-3595: Flooding
March 20, 2023	Severe Storm	DR-4695: Severe Storm And Flooding

Jobs and pay in Franklin County

Franklin County had 17,250 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $62,487 a year. Unemployment was 1.8% in 2023; in Berkshire itself the ACS puts it at 0.3%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Berkshire

Richford, VT
3.9 mi · 1,304 people · home $165,000
Enosburg Falls, VT
5.2 mi · 1,356 people · home $206,500
Enosburgh, VT
6.5 mi · 2,810 people · home $223,100
Richford, VT
7.2 mi · 2,346 people · home $176,600
Franklin, VT
7.8 mi · 1,363 people · home $247,400
Sheldon, VT
10.1 mi · 2,136 people · home $272,400
Montgomery, VT
10.2 mi · 1,184 people · home $323,200
Jay, VT
11.6 mi · 551 people · home $234,200

Berkshire questions

Is Berkshire, Vermont a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Berkshire scores better for retirees than 5% of Vermont towns and quieter than 17%. 14.8% of residents are 65 or older (median age 31.6).

How much does a house cost in Berkshire?

The median owner-occupied home in Berkshire is valued at $244,600 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $71,406, so homes cost about 3.4 times income. Median rent is $1,525 a month.

What is the weather like in Berkshire?

July highs average 81.5°F and January lows 7.8°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 40.8 inches of precipitation a year and 83.3 inches of snow.

Does Berkshire get tornadoes?

2 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Berkshire since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F2 on June 13, 1961. The typical Vermont town has had 2.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Berkshire's Census boundary (GEOID 5001105425). Comparisons use the median of Vermont towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.