The 10 Richest Cities In Vermont For 2026

The richest cities in Vermont are South Burlington and Winooski for 2026 based on Saturday Night Science.

South Burlington, Winooski, Montpelier: These cities aren’t just some of the best places to live in Vermont. They are also home to some of the richest people in the Green Mountain State.

South Burlington in particular houses the richest residents in the state thanks, in part, to a median household income of $106,667 and a ridiculously low poverty rate of 7.2%.

If you’re thinking of moving to one of these towns, you’ll probably need to start saving. The richest places in Vermont share common characteristics such as having a genius level populous, sky high home prices, and a Pleasantville level of married couples.

How did we come up with these mega wealthy cities? We analyzed Census data from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey for the 12 places in Vermont with more than 2,000 people.

1

No. 1 richest place in Vermont

South Burlington, VT

20,756 peopleSnackAbility 8.5/10
8.5/10
South Burlington, VT
Source: Wikipedia User Superbug2399 | GFDL
$106,667 median income · 7.2% poverty · #1 income in Vermont
Map of South Burlington within Vermont Located in Chittenden County, Vermont
Median income +31% vs VT
$106,667
VT $81k
Median home value +22% vs VT
$481,493
VT $394k
Poverty rate -29% vs VT
7.2%
VT 10.1%
Unemployment +8% vs VT
3.9%
VT 3.6%

South Burlington is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. It is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and home to the headquarters of Ben & Jerry’s and Vermont’s largest mall, the University Mall. It is also one in the principal municipalities of the Burlington, Vermont metropolitan area.

2

No. 2 richest place in Vermont

Winooski, VT

8,293 peopleSnackAbility 8/10
8/10
Winooski, VT
Source: Wikipedia User The original uploader was Hortont424 at English Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 2.5
$79,522 median income · 13.8% poverty · #3 income in Vermont
Map of Winooski within Vermont Located in Chittenden County, Vermont
Median income -2% vs VT
$79,522
VT $81k
Median home value +8% vs VT
$427,517
VT $394k
Poverty rate +37% vs VT
13.8%
VT 10.1%
Unemployment -67% vs VT
1.2%
VT 3.6%

Winooski is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Located on the Winooski River, as of the 2010 U.S. Census the municipal population was 7,267. The city is the most densely populated municipality in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is the smallest in area of Vermont’s nine incorporated cities. As part of the Burlington, Vermont metropolitan area, it is bordered by Burlington, Colchester, and South Burlington.

3

No. 3 richest place in Vermont

Montpelier, VT

8,014 peopleSnackAbility 8.5/10
8.5/10
Montpelier, VT
Source: Wikipedia User The original uploader was Decumanus at English Wikipedia | GFDL
$81,030 median income · 6.5% poverty · #2 income in Vermont
Map of Montpelier within Vermont Located in Washington County, Vermont
Median income 0% vs VT
$81,030
VT $81k
Median home value +5% vs VT
$414,351
VT $394k
Poverty rate -36% vs VT
6.5%
VT 10.1%
Unemployment -33% vs VT
2.4%
VT 3.6%

Montpelier is the capital city of the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Washington County. As the site of Vermont’s state government, it is the least populous state capital in the United States. The population was 7,855 at the 2010 census. However, the daytime population swells to about 21,000, due to the large number of jobs within city limits. The Vermont College of Fine Arts and New England Culinary Institute are located in the municipality. It was named for Montpellier, France.

4

No. 4 richest place in Vermont

Burlington, VT

44,675 peopleSnackAbility 7.5/10
7.5/10
Burlington, VT
Source: Wikipedia User Kenneth C. Zirkel | CC BY-SA 4.0
$71,109 median income · 20.5% poverty · #5 income in Vermont
Map of Burlington within Vermont Located in Chittenden County, Vermont
Median income -12% vs VT
$71,109
VT $81k
Median home value +29% vs VT
$506,784
VT $394k
Poverty rate +103% vs VT
20.5%
VT 10.1%
Unemployment +19% vs VT
4.3%
VT 3.6%

Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located 45 miles south of the Canada-United States border and 94 miles south of Canada’s second most populous municipality, Montreal. The city’s population was 42,452 according to a 2015 U.S. census estimate. It is the least populous municipality in the United States to be the most populous incorporated area in a state.

5

No. 5 richest place in Vermont

Vergennes, VT

2,565 peopleSnackAbility 8.5/10
8.5/10
Vergennes, VT
Source: Public domain
$76,587 median income · 11.6% poverty · #4 income in Vermont
Located in Addison County, Vermont
Median income -6% vs VT
$76,587
VT $81k
Median home value -9% vs VT
$357,849
VT $394k
Poverty rate +15% vs VT
11.6%
VT 10.1%
Unemployment -56% vs VT
1.6%
VT 3.6%
6

No. 6 richest place in Vermont

Morrisville, VT

2,664 peopleSnackAbility 5/10
5/10
Morrisville, VT
Source: Public domain
$68,240 median income · 17.8% poverty · #6 income in Vermont
Located in Lamoille County, Vermont
Median income -16% vs VT
$68,240
VT $81k
Median home value -9% vs VT
$360,432
VT $394k
Poverty rate +76% vs VT
17.8%
VT 10.1%
Unemployment -22% vs VT
2.8%
VT 3.6%
7

No. 7 richest place in Vermont

St. Albans, VT

6,954 peopleSnackAbility 6/10up 1
6/10
St. Albans, VT
Source: Wikipedia User Mitchazenia | CC BY-SA 4.0
$57,980 median income · 19.5% poverty · #9 income in Vermont
Map of St. Albans within Vermont Located in Franklin County, Vermont
Median income -29% vs VT
$57,980
VT $81k
Median home value -8% vs VT
$361,249
VT $394k
Poverty rate +93% vs VT
19.5%
VT 10.1%
Unemployment -50% vs VT
1.8%
VT 3.6%
8

No. 8 richest place in Vermont

Swanton, VT

2,670 peopleSnackAbility 5/10down 1
5/10
Swanton, VT
Source: Wikipedia User Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States | CC BY-SA 2.0
$66,607 median income · 20.1% poverty · #7 income in Vermont
Located in Franklin County, Vermont
Median income -18% vs VT
$66,607
VT $81k
Median home value -13% vs VT
$340,862
VT $394k
Poverty rate +99% vs VT
20.1%
VT 10.1%
Unemployment -17% vs VT
3.0%
VT 3.6%
9

No. 9 richest place in Vermont

Barre, VT

8,412 peopleSnackAbility 6/10up 1
6/10
Barre, VT
Source: Wikipedia User John Phelan | CC BY-SA 3.0
$65,625 median income · 17.3% poverty · #8 income in Vermont
Map of Barre within Vermont Located in Washington County, Vermont
Median income -19% vs VT
$65,625
VT $81k
Median home value -24% vs VT
$300,280
VT $394k
Poverty rate +71% vs VT
17.3%
VT 10.1%
Unemployment +25% vs VT
4.5%
VT 3.6%
10

No. 10 richest place in Vermont

Rutland, VT

15,712 peopleSnackAbility 7/10down 1
7/10
Rutland, VT
Source: Wikipedia User | GFDL
$57,675 median income · 15.3% poverty · #10 income in Vermont
Map of Rutland within Vermont Located in Rutland County, Vermont
Median income -29% vs VT
$57,675
VT $81k
Median home value -30% vs VT
$276,480
VT $394k
Poverty rate +51% vs VT
15.3%
VT 10.1%
Unemployment +22% vs VT
4.4%
VT 3.6%

The receipts

Compare the top ten

Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Vermont’s statewide median.

City Median income vs VT
1 South Burlington $106,667 +31%
2 Winooski $79,522 -2%
3 Montpelier $81,030 0%
4 Burlington $71,109 -12%
5 Vergennes $76,587 -6%
6 Morrisville $68,240 -16%
7 St. Albans $57,980 -29%
8 Swanton $66,607 -18%
9 Barre $65,625 -19%
10 Rutland $57,675 -29%

Vermont statewide median: $81,203

City Median home value vs VT
1 South Burlington $481,493 +22%
2 Winooski $427,517 +8%
3 Montpelier $414,351 +5%
4 Burlington $506,784 +29%
5 Vergennes $357,849 -9%
6 Morrisville $360,432 -9%
7 St. Albans $361,249 -8%
8 Swanton $340,862 -13%
9 Barre $300,280 -24%
10 Rutland $276,480 -30%

Vermont statewide median: $394,038

City Poverty rate vs VT
1 South Burlington 7.2% -29%
2 Winooski 13.8% +37%
3 Montpelier 6.5% -36%
4 Burlington 20.5% +103%
5 Vergennes 11.6% +15%
6 Morrisville 17.8% +76%
7 St. Albans 19.5% +93%
8 Swanton 20.1% +99%
9 Barre 17.3% +71%
10 Rutland 15.3% +51%

Vermont statewide median: 10.1%

City Unemployment vs VT
1 South Burlington 3.9% +8%
2 Winooski 1.2% -67%
3 Montpelier 2.4% -33%
4 Burlington 4.3% +19%
5 Vergennes 1.6% -56%
6 Morrisville 2.8% -22%
7 St. Albans 1.8% -50%
8 Swanton 3.0% -17%
9 Barre 4.5% +25%
10 Rutland 4.4% +22%

Vermont statewide median: 3.6%

City Population vs VT
1 South Burlington 20,756
2 Winooski 8,293
3 Montpelier 8,014
4 Burlington 44,675
5 Vergennes 2,565
6 Morrisville 2,664
7 St. Albans 6,954
8 Swanton 2,670
9 Barre 8,412
10 Rutland 15,712

On the map

Where the money lives in Vermont

Saturday Night Science

How we determined the richest places in Vermont for 2026

The first thing most people reach for is personal income. After all, rich people have really high salaries. But one statistic doesn’t capture what it means to be one of the “richest places,” so we applied Saturday Night Science to two measures from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey:

  • Median household income
  • Median home value

Median household income is the most digestible way to understand how rich a place is, and home values are a measure of accumulated wealth. The two combine to define a “Rich City.”

After collecting the data for all 12 places in Vermont with more than 2,000 people, we ranked each place from 1 to 12 on both criteria, then averaged the two ranks into a “Rich Score.” The place with the lowest Rich Score, South Burlington, is crowned the richest city in Vermont for 2026.

The full plate

All 12 richest cities in Vermont, ranked

Click any column to sort. Search by city name.

RankCityRich ScorePopulationMedian incomeMedian home valuePovertyUnemployment
1South Burlington1.5020,756$106,667$481,4937.2%3.9%
2Winooski3.008,293$79,522$427,51713.8%1.2%
3Montpelier3.008,014$81,030$414,3516.5%2.4%
4Burlington3.0044,675$71,109$506,78420.5%4.3%
5Vergennes5.502,565$76,587$357,84911.6%1.6%
6Morrisville6.002,664$68,240$360,43217.8%2.8%
7St. Albans7.006,954$57,980$361,24919.5%1.8%
8Swanton7.502,670$66,607$340,86220.1%3.0%
9Barre8.508,412$65,625$300,28017.3%4.5%
10Rutland10.0015,712$57,675$276,48015.3%4.4%
11Bellows Falls11.502,891$56,086$235,01525.1%11.7%
12Newport11.504,394$54,646$254,52723.0%9.1%

Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, Zillow research. 12 cities with more than 2,000 residents.

South Burlington is the richest place in Vermont for 2026

When we set out to identify the richest places in Vermont, we weren’t sure what we’d find, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in the state. The richest cities in Vermont are South Burlington, Winooski, and Montpelier, and when you look at the data they sit at the very top of the income ladder for everyone who lives there.

Breaking into the top ten takes a median household income of at least $57,675. If you’re curious about the other end of the ledger, the poorest places are listed to the right.

Chris Kolmar
About the author

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.

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