Vermont Population 2024

647,818

The northeastern US state of Vermont is the 45th largest in the country by area and the 49th largest by population -- the only state with fewer people is Wyoming. Vermont's population has seen a slight decline over the past few years, currently shrinking at .12% per year.

The last official US census was carried out in 2010 and this confirmed that the population of Vermont at the time was 625,741 which represented a modest 2.8% rise on the figures declared at the Census of 2000.

Vermont Area and Population Density

Despite its small size and population, it does make good use of its space with a population density that ranks 30th in the country. Vermont has a very tiny surface area of just 9,614 square miles, but for every square mile of Vermont territory, there is an average of 67.9 people, making Vermont the 30th most densely populated state in the entire country.

There are no major urban areas in Vermont, which is not surprising given its small overall population. Vermont has only 9 incorporated cities, and only three of them have a population of more than 10,000. Burlington is the state’s largest city, home to just over 42,000 people. The second largest city is South Burlington (pop: 18,791). Together the two cities, combined with a number of other towns and cities, make up the Burlington Metropolitan area, containing more than 200,000 people.

The state capital, Montpelier, is only Vermont’s fifth largest city. It has an estimated 7,592 residents. Interestingly, Vermont is the only state in the country that does not have a single building taller than 124 feet (38 meters).

The two most populated counties within the state of Vermont are Chittenden County and Rutland county, with respective populations of 162,372 and 59,087.

Vermont Gender and Religion Statistics

The median age across the population of Vermont is approximately 42.6 years of age. In terms of the sex ratio among the population, 50.7% are females and 49.3% are males.

In terms of religious preferences across the population of the state, 54% are affiliated with a Christian based faith, 8% are affiliated with non-Christian based faiths, and a whopping 37% are not affiliated with any religion in particular.

It's also interesting to note that Vermont is considered the least religious state in the country with only 23% of residents considering themselves "very religious," and it has the fifth highest percentage of divorced people in the country.

Vermont Boundary, Census, and Statehood History

In 1777 Vermont declared itself separate from New Hampshire and New York, but both continued to claim it. After New York withdrew its claims, Vermont was admitted as a State on March 4, 1791 with essentially its present boundaries. Vermont's 1790 census actually took place after statehood in 1791. Census coverage included virtually all settled portions of the State.

Vermont Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Vermont was:

  • White: 92.93%
  • Two or more races: 3.37%
  • Asian: 1.68%
  • Black or African American: 1.27%
  • Other race: 0.49%
  • Native American: 0.24%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.03%

Vermont Population History

Like most areas on the eastern side of the US, Vermont had a healthy population in the latter part of the 18th century, and by 1790 there were already 85,425 people living in the Green Mountain State.

Just ten years later in 1800, that figure had grown by over 80% to 154,465, and by 1810, numbers had exceeded 200,000 for the very first time.

Unlike some other states, however, growth slowed down considerably from this point onwards, and in fact, there have been two censuses in history (1920 and 1940) that have revealed a drop in the Vermont population on a decade by decade basis.

The overall picture is one of very slow growth and Vermont's current population has still not broken 650,000.

Vermont Population Growth

Figures relating to natural growth in Vermont reveal some healthy statistics, and in 2005, the US Census Bureau released some findings in this respect. These showed that in the five years since the 2000 census, there had been an increase of 7,148 people due to 33,606 births minus 26,458 deaths, and furthermore, there had been a rise due to net migration of 7,889 people into Vermont.

Unfortunately, Vermont's previously healthy growth became stagnant, dropping from double-digit climbs from the 1970s through the 1990s to reach its current growth rate of just 0.02%.

According to Vermont's former governor, the biggest challenge facing the state's economy is not high taxes, reform of health care, or government bureaucracy but simply its long-term demographic trends, which show that Vermont's labor force is shrinking steadily.

Vermont has a median age of the workforce of 42.3, which is the highest in the nation. Combine this with the low birthrate and very little migration into the state and it's not hard to see why Vermont's population is growing so slowly.

Vermont Population Projections

Estimates show that Vermont's total population growth rate will remain positive for some time, although declines may be seen in the future. It's currently projected that Vermont's population may break the 650,000 mark by 2020.

Vermont is one of ten states that has a population that is mostly white. It is just one of ten states to have a percentage of non-Hispanic whites that exceeds 90%. It has the second highest percentage in the nation -- only falling behind Maine. Vermont has the second lowest percentage of African Americans; only Montana has a lower percentage.

It also has the third lowest percentage of Hispanic residents, behind West Virginia and Maine. Vermont has the second oldest median age, which presents a real problem in terms of growth. In terms of its Asian American population, the state ranks 38th out of 50 states based on percentage of Asians compared to Vermont's total population.

The most common ancestry groups include French or French Canadian (23.9%), English (18.6%), Irish (17.9%), German (10.3%), Italian (7.5%), American (7.0%) and Scottish (5.0%).

Vermont Growth Rate

Vermont Population Rank

Vermont Population 2024

Vermont Facts

Population

20K

40K

60K

80K

100K

120K

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160K

Data from the 2010 Census was compared with 2015 estimates from the Census Bureau to break down population gains and losses among the counties of Vermont. Of the state's counties, only four had increases in population during this 5-year period. These counties are all located in the northwestern corner of the state. The highest gain was observed in Chittenden County, which had an increase in population of 2.92%. This was followed by the growth rate observed in Lamoille County of 2.84%. The two remaining counties that had population gains include Franklin and Addison.

The majority of Vermont's counties saw declining populations. The highest was recorded in Rutland County, along the state's western border, of 3.0%. Following behind was Windham at 2.52%. Other losses that were smaller include the counties of Bennington, Washington, Orange, Grand Isle, Orleans, Essex, Caledonia, and Windsor.

Vermont Population by County

Population by Race

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Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White596,28292.93%
Two or more races21,6223.37%
Asian10,7591.68%
Black or African American8,1661.27%
Other race3,1230.49%
Native American1,5200.24%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander1650.03%

White

Two or more races

Asian

Black or African American

Other race

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Vermont Population by Race

Vermont Population Pyramid 2024

Vermont Median Age

42.7

Total

41.3

Male

43.9

Female

Vermont Adults

There are 522,748 adults, (125,131 of whom are seniors) in Vermont.

Vermont Age Dependency

61.4

Age Dependency Ratio

31.5

Old Age Dependency Ratio

29.9

Child Dependency Ratio

Vermont Sex Ratio

Female323,10450.36%
Male318,53349.64%

Vermont Population by Age

Vermont Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All262,5142.3572.127.9
Married123,5882.9588.611.4
Non Family105,8271.3356.143.9
Female22,8383.3158.741.3
Male10,2613.3466.533.5

2.92

Average Family Size

2.35

Average Household Size

72.1%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Vermont Households and Families

Male

Female

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Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Vermont Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Vermont Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 94.25%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among asian people with a rate of 52.32%.

Vermont Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$43,613

Average Earnings

$48,087

Average Male

$39,770

Average Female

Vermont Earnings by Educational Attainment

Vermont Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Vermont Language

94.49% of Vermont residents speak only English, while 5.51% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Other Indo-European, which is spoken by 3.13% of the population.

Vermont Language

Vermont Poverty by Race

rate

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Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White568,98456,91910%
Multiple20,5083,18015.51%
Hispanic11,9931,74514.55%
Asian10,0191,67116.68%
Black7,2661,47420.29%
Native1,46436524.93%
Other2,89834912.04%
Islander14153.55%

10.53%

Overall Poverty Rate

9.51%

Male Poverty Rate

11.53%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Vermont

The race most likely to be in poverty in Vermont is Native, with 24.93% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Vermont is Islander, with 3.55% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.3%. Among those working part-time, it was 13.94%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 20.26%.

Vermont Poverty

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade25.94%
High School12.27%
Some College8.51%
Bachelors or Greater4.19%

Vermont Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Rate
Poverty
Female Unemployed24.94%
Male Unemployed24.23%
Female Employed6.12%
Male Employed3.93%

Vermont Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Vermont Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

Vermont Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

47.6%

Overall Marriage Rate

48.2%

Male Marriage Rate

47.1%

Female Marriage Rate

Vermont Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Vermont Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 45-54.

Vermont Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Vermont Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

34,347

Number of Veterans

31,372

Male Veterans

2,975

Female Veterans

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Vermont Veterans by War

count

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Vermont Veterans by Age

count

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Vermont Veterans by Race

Vermont Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

6.49%

Veteran Poverty Rate

31.16%

Veteran Disability Rate

Vermont Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

65.1%

Labor Force Participation

62.4%

Employment Rate

3.9%

Unemployment Rate

Vermont Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Vermont Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Vermont Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

49.13%

Born in Vermont

95.64%

Native Born

4.36%

Foreign Born

1.85%

Non Citizen

2.52%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

95.64% of Vermont residents were born in the United States, with 49.13% having been born in Vermont. 1.85% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Asia.

Vermont Place of Birth

  1. Vermont State Data Center
  2. US Census State Population Estimates - Most recent state estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  3. US Census County Population Estimates - Most recent county estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  4. American Community Survey (2009 - 2013)
  5. Census QuickFacts
  6. Historical Populations of States and Counties (1790 - 1990)

Sources