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 counties 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 using Saturday Night Science to rank places for years.
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.
Grand Isle County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Vermont. And you should avoid Essex County if you can — at least according to the data.
$97,396 median income · 3.1% unemployment
$83,449 median income · 2.7% unemployment
$96,759 median income · 3.2% unemployment
$89,639 median income · 3.8% unemployment
$82,232 median income · 2.3% unemployment
$77,594 median income · 4.4% unemployment
$74,908 median income · 3.3% unemployment
$81,313 median income · 3.2% unemployment
$72,217 median income · 4.8% unemployment
$69,970 median income · 2.2% unemployment
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Vermont’s statewide median.
Vermont statewide median: $81,203
Vermont statewide median: $394,038
Vermont statewide median: 3.6%
On the map
Where Vermont’s best counties are
Saturday Night Science
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 made assumptions about what’s in a “best county” and what isn’t. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best data sources on the internet. Namely, the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent 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
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, quietest, and best counties to raise a family in the Green Mountain State.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best counties to live in Vermont.
Read on to see why Grand Isle County is the best county, while Essex County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Vermont.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Vermont
Click any column to sort. Search by county name.
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Isle County | 7,450 | $97,396 | $449,029 |
| 2 | Washington County | 60,017 | $83,449 | $390,836 |
| 3 | Chittenden County | 169,758 | $96,759 | $511,927 |
| 4 | Addison County | 37,664 | $89,639 | $429,581 |
| 5 | Orange County | 29,761 | $82,232 | $325,123 |
| 6 | Windsor County | 57,990 | $77,594 | $415,906 |
| 7 | Lamoille County | 26,148 | $74,908 | $493,398 |
| 8 | Franklin County | 50,638 | $81,313 | $366,552 |
| 9 | Windham County | 45,923 | $72,217 | $369,559 |
| 10 | Caledonia County | 30,475 | $69,970 | $294,635 |
| 11 | Bennington County | 37,269 | $73,325 | $368,440 |
| 12 | Rutland County | 60,425 | $68,616 | $308,205 |
| 13 | Orleans County | 27,606 | $70,103 | $287,959 |
| 14 | Essex County | 5,982 | $59,294 | $233,281 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS + FBI crime data via Saturday Night Science. All 14 Vermont counties.
Summary
Summary: The Best Counties In Vermont To Call Home For 2026
Living in Vermont can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
The best counties in Vermont are Grand Isle County, Washington County, Chittenden County, Addison County, Orange County, Windsor County, Lamoille County, Franklin County, Windham County, and Caledonia County.
But now you know the outstanding parts and the parts to avoid, and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome. Not sold on Vermont? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Counties In Vermont FAQs
What is the best county to live in Vermont?
Grand Isle County is the best county to live in Vermont for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Washington County and Chittenden County are next.
What are the best counties in Vermont?
The best counties to live in Vermont are Grand Isle County, Washington County, Chittenden County, Addison County, Orange County, Windsor County, Lamoille County, Franklin County, Windham County, and Caledonia County. We ranked all 14 Vermont counties.
How do you rank the best counties?
Counties are scored on crime, home values, income, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey and FBI data. The county with the best average across all seven, Grand Isle County, wins.
How expensive is it to live in Grand Isle County?
The median household income in Grand Isle County is $97,396 and the median home costs $449,029. Statewide, the typical Vermont home runs $394,038.
Which county in Vermont should you think twice about?
Essex County lands at the bottom of the quality-of-life ranking for Vermont. People make good lives there anyway; the numbers just say it is the toughest of the 14 counties.
