What is the poverty rate in Vermont?
Refreshed monthly
The poverty rate was about 9% of Vermont’s population as of 2024. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2024, 56,348 people in Vermont were considered in poverty.
9%
of the population (2024)
56.3K
people living under the poverty line (2024)
The state's poverty rate was 9% in 2024, the lowest based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010. It was 0.7 percentage points lower than the previous year. Vermont's poverty rate hit a peak in 2010 of 12.7%.
In 2024, 9% of Vermont's population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate, 2010–2024
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2024, 56,348 people living in Vermont were in poverty — down 26.2% from the 2010 peak of 76,352.
In 2024, 56,300 people in Vermont were in poverty.
People living under poverty line, 2010–2024
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
What is the child poverty rate in Vermont?
From 2014 to 2024, the poverty rate for children under 18 in Vermont decreased from 15.8% to 9.1%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 12.4% to 9.3%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 7.1% to 8.2%.
In 2024, 9.1% of children in Vermont were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group, 2014–2024
How does poverty differ by race in Vermont?
Among racial or ethnic groups in Vermont during 2024, three had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: Asian, Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race), and two or more races.
Five groups had a lower than average poverty rate: American Indian and Alaska Native, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, some other race, White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race) population in Vermont shifted the most, increasing from 14.4% in 2014 to 24.3% in 2024.
In Vermont, the poverty rate for the Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race) population increased from 14.4% in 2014 to 24.3% in 2024.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity, 2014–2024
What counties in Vermont have the highest and lowest poverty rates?
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Vermont counties ranged from 7.4% in Addison County to 14.3% in Essex County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Chittenden County — was 10.4%.
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Vermont counties ranged from 7.4% to 14.3%.
Poverty rate
Poverty rate, by county (2023)
| 1. | Essex County | 14.3% |
| 2. | Caledonia County | 12.6% |
| 3. | Windham County | 12.0% |
| 4. | Rutland County | 12.0% |
| 5. | Bennington County | 11.4% |
| 6. | Orleans County | 10.8% |
| 7. | Chittenden County | 10.4% |
| 8. | Franklin County | 10.1% |
| 9. | Orange County | 9.4% |
| 10. | Washington County | 9.4% |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
