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Is being in an area that's growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?
Depends on who you ask. Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Burlington and South Burlington, while others want peace and quiet like in St. Johnsbury and Shelburne, thank you very much.
But today we're going to put opinions aside and just look at the cold hard facts -- over the past five years, which cities in Vermont have the grown the fastest.
After getting knee deep in the Census's American Community Survey, we emerged with this set of cities in the Green Mountain State that have people climbing over each other to get in.
These are the 10 fastest growing cities in Vermont for 2022 according to the most recent census data:
The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Vermont For 2022
What's the fastest growing city in Vermont for 2022? Based on the most recent ACS data, Shelburne ranks as the fastest growing city in Vermont. If you happen to be a resident of Shelburne, you're probably not too surprised to find it on our list.
If you're surprised--and you're wondering why these places are kind of a big deal--keep reading. We'll tell you what makes each of these 10 places in Vermont are growing like weeds.
And if you already knew these places were happening, check out the best places to live in Vermont or the Fastest Growing States In America.
For more Vermont state reading:
The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Vermont For 2022
1. Shelburne
Population: 6,008
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 12)
Population 2010: 680
Percent Growth 783.5%
Absolute Growth: 5,328
More on Shelburne: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
2. Essex Junction
/10
Population: 10,761
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 9,155
Percent Growth 17.5%
Absolute Growth: 1,606
More on Essex Junction: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
3. South Burlington
/10
Population: 19,359
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 17,356
Percent Growth 11.5%
Absolute Growth: 2,003
More on South Burlington: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
4. Middlebury
/10
Population: 6,929
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 6,526
Percent Growth 6.2%
Absolute Growth: 403
More on Middlebury: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
5. Winooski
/10
Population: 7,320
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 7,133
Percent Growth 2.6%
Absolute Growth: 187
More on Winooski: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
6. Burlington
/10
Population: 42,645
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 41,935
Percent Growth 1.7%
Absolute Growth: 710
More on Burlington: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
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7. St. Albans
/10
Population: 6,796
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 7,044
Percent Growth -3.5%
Absolute Growth: -248
More on St. Albans: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
8. Bennington
/10
Population: 8,539
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 8,969
Percent Growth -4.8%
Absolute Growth: -430
More on Bennington: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
9. Barre
/10
Population: 8,590
Rank Last Year: 8 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 9,112
Percent Growth -5.7%
Absolute Growth: -522
More on Barre: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
10. Montpelier
/10
Population: 7,434
Rank Last Year: 9 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 7,903
Percent Growth -5.9%
Absolute Growth: -469
More on Montpelier: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos
Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Green Mountain State for 2022
To figure out which cities are growing the most, we simply had to look at the growth rates for cities sine the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:
- Current Population
- Population in 2010
- Growth rate from 2010 to Current (The latest available data which came out in Dec 2018)
We ranked all 13 Vermont cities with a population over 5,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.
The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest growing city in the Green Mountain State.
And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula:
[Current Population - Population 2010] / [Population 2010]
Here's a graph of the cities in Vermont with the largest percent increase in population:
Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In Vermont, You Know?
So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in Vermont are led by Shelburne which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.
It'll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We'll be here to let you know!
These places have been growing (or shrinking) the slowest (fastest):
- St. Johnsbury
- Brattleboro
- Rutland
For more Vermont reading, check out:
Detailed List Of Fastest Growing Places In Vermont For 2022
| Rank | City | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelburne | 783.5% |
| 2 | Essex Junction | 17.5% |
| 3 | South Burlington | 11.5% |
| 4 | Middlebury | 6.2% |
| 5 | Winooski | 2.6% |
| 6 | Burlington | 1.7% |
| 7 | St. Albans | -3.5% |
| 8 | Bennington | -4.8% |
| 9 | Barre | -5.7% |
| 10 | Montpelier | -5.9% |