The 10 Best Counties To Live In Vermont For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which counties in Vermont have the most for people looking to make the move to Vermont.

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Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment: is Vermont a good place?

The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best places to live in Vermont.

Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Green Mountain State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been helping people find the best places to live in America for years.

So, the question becomes, if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Vermont, where would you go? To answer that we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 14 counties in the state.

After the analytic dust settled, we identified the 10 best counties to live in Green Mountain State for 2022.

Washington County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Vermont. And you might want to avoid Essex County if you can — at least according to the data.

So if you’re thinking of making the move Vermont, we’ve got you covered. Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.

Or, check out the best places to live in Vermont and the cheapest places to live in Vermont.

The Best Counties To Live In Vermont For 2022

1. Washington County

Montpelier, VT

Source: Wikipedia User The original uploader was | GFDL

Biggest Place: Barre

Population: 58,336
Median Income: $64,862.0 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $230,400.0 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.2% (2nd best)
More on Washington County: Photos | Data

2. Grand Isle County

Biggest Place: Alburgh

Population: 7,075
Median Income: $81,667.0 (best)
Median Home Price: $287,200.0 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.6% (13th best)
More on Grand Isle County: Data

3. Chittenden County

Burlington, VT

Source: Wikipedia User Kenneth C. Zirkel | CC BY-SA 4.0

Biggest Place: Burlington

Population: 163,414
Median Income: $76,316.0 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $314,200.0 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.6% (4th best)
More on Chittenden County: Photos | Data

4. Addison County

Vergennes, VT

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Middlebury

Population: 36,947
Median Income: $70,262.0 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $257,100.0 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.9% (8th best)
More on Addison County: Photos | Data

5. Orange County

Randolph, VT

Source: Wikipedia User The original uploader was | CC BY-SA 2.0

Biggest Place: Randolph

Population: 28,873
Median Income: $62,737.0 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $196,900.0 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.8% (7th best)
More on Orange County: Photos | Data

6. Rutland County

Rutland, VT

Source: Wikipedia User | GFDL

Biggest Place: Rutland

Population: 58,527
Median Income: $57,176.0 (10th best)
Median Home Price: $174,800.0 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.5% (3rd best)
More on Rutland County: Photos | Data

7. Windsor County

Woodstock, VT

Source: Wikipedia User AlexiusHoratius | CC BY-SA 4.0

Biggest Place: Springfield

Population: 55,191
Median Income: $61,503.0 (8th best)
Median Home Price: $219,500.0 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.8% (6th best)
More on Windsor County: Photos | Data

8. Franklin County

Enosburg Falls, VT

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: St. Albans

Population: 49,275
Median Income: $65,314.0 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $219,200.0 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.4% (12th best)
More on Franklin County: Photos | Data

9. Caledonia County

St. Johnsbury, VT

Source: Wikipedia User |

Biggest Place: St. Johnsbury

Population: 30,027
Median Income: $52,481.0 (13th best)
Median Home Price: $172,700.0 (12th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.1% (best)
More on Caledonia County: Photos | Data

10. Orleans County

Newport, VT

Source: Wikipedia User P199 | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Newport

Population: 26,843
Median Income: $54,390.0 (11th best)
Median Home Price: $169,400.0 (13th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.2% (10th best)
More on Orleans County: Photos | Data

Methodology: How do you determine which Vermont county is the best?

To give you the best county in Vermont, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we need to make some assumptions about what’s a “best county” and what isn’t. And, for reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, don’t take this analysis to court.

With that in mind, we went to two of the best sources of data on the internet; the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent time period.

We paid particular attention to:

  • Violent Crime Rates
  • Property Crime Rates
  • Median Home Values
  • Median Income
  • Unemployment Rates
  • Adult Education Levels
  • Health Insurance Coverage
  • Poverty Rates
Best Places To Raise A Family In Vermont

We then ranked each county in Vermont across each of the criteria from one to 14, with one being the best.

Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In Vermont”.

The result is some of the safest, quiet, and best counties to raise a family in the Green Mountain State.

Read on to see why Washington County is the best county, while Essex County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Vermont.

Summary: The Best Counties In Vermont To Call Home For 2018

It turns out living in Vermont can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?

But now you the know the really good parts and the parts to avoid and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day. And for that, you are welcome.

Here’s a look at the worst counties in Vermont according to the data:

  1. Essex County
  2. Windham County
  3. Lamoille County

For more Vermont reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Vermont

County Rank Population Median Income Median Home Price
Washington County 1 58,336 $64,862.0 $230,400.0
Grand Isle County 2 7,075 $81,667.0 $287,200.0
Chittenden County 3 163,414 $76,316.0 $314,200.0
Addison County 4 36,947 $70,262.0 $257,100.0
Orange County 5 28,873 $62,737.0 $196,900.0
Rutland County 6 58,527 $57,176.0 $174,800.0
Windsor County 7 55,191 $61,503.0 $219,500.0
Franklin County 8 49,275 $65,314.0 $219,200.0
Caledonia County 9 30,027 $52,481.0 $172,700.0
Orleans County 10 26,843 $54,390.0 $169,400.0
Bennington County 11 35,649 $58,200.0 $210,600.0
Lamoille County 12 25,376 $64,179.0 $228,200.0
Windham County 13 42,628 $54,188.0 $217,600.0
Essex County 14 6,179 $47,035.0 $137,600.0
Download The Entire Vermont Ranking Data
Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the best counties to live in Vermont.

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

 Best Counties, Rankings