ExecutivePulse
Official Federal Data

Chittenden County, Vermont

FIPS 50007 · Burlington-South Burlington, VT · Population 169,758
9 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
$96,759
Median Income
$80,734 national
2.2%
Unemployment
4% national
$16.4B
GDP
56.8%
Bachelor's+
35.7% national

Demographics & Population

Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates

Household Income

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$96,759
Per Capita
$52,322
Mean Household
$123,772
Poverty Rate
9.7%
Median Income Comparison
Chittenden County$96,759
Vermont$81,203
National$80,734

Population Profile

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
65+: 16.9% (28,714 residents) 55-64: 12.3% (20,939 residents) 35-54: 24.3% (41,239 residents) 18-34: 29.3% (49,713 residents) Under 18: 17.2% (29,153 residents) 37 Median Age
Cohorts
Under 18 · 17.2%
18-34 · 29.3%
35-54 · 24.3%
55-64 · 12.3%
65+ · 16.9%
Race & Ethnicity
White86.2%
Black or African American2.3%
Asian4.4%
Hispanic or Latino(any race)2.9%
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.

Educational Attainment

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
96.1%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +6.5 pts
56.8%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +21.1 pts
24.8%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▲ +10.7 pts

Employment Overview

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
169,758
Population
101,502
Labor Force
Employed
97,858
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
2.2% ▲ +0.3 pts YoY
Mean Commute 5 min below national avg
21.1 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
19.8%
Key Takeaways
  • Income premium: Households earn well above the national median, supporting strong retail and housing markets.
  • Talent advantage: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment exceeds the national average by 21.1 pts, supports knowledge-economy and tech attraction.

Economy & Industry

Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis

$16.4B
Gross Domestic Product · 2024
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis · CAGDP1 Regional GDP

Top Industries by Employment

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics · Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages 2025 Annual
Top industries by employment in Chittenden County, Vermont, with employment, share of top sectors, and average wage
IndustryEmploymentShare of Top 10Avg Wage
1Health Care and Social Assistance
17,858 24.9%
$79,042
2Retail Trade
10,931 15.2%
$44,843
3Manufacturing
9,279 12.9%
$90,903
4Accommodation and Food Services
8,151 11.4%
$31,786
5Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
7,995 11.1%
$132,355
6Administrative and Support and Waste Management
5,346 7.4%
$69,325
7Wholesale Trade
3,515 4.9%
$95,785
8Other Services (except Public Administration)
3,107 4.3%
$54,798
9Finance and Insurance
2,821 3.9%
$142,758
10Educational Services
2,767 3.9%
$43,511
Track industry shifts with AI

ExecutivePulse monitors WARN notices, BLS changes, and SEC filings for your top employers.

Learn More
Key Takeaways
  • Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 17,858 workers (24.9% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $79,042.
  • Economic scale: Regional GDP of $16.4B (2024).
  • Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $142,758 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $31,786, a 4.5x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
Seeing a change here?

EP customers get year-over-year deltas, WARN notices, and SEC filings for every sector tracked above, surfaced as proactive alerts, not after-the-fact news.

Get Deeper Trends

Industry Concentration

Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.

Location Quotient Analysis

Concentrated Industries
Source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector · Location Quotient vs. national employment share
Same source as the Top Industries table above, sub-sector view surfaces the specialization the supersector view masks (e.g., Plastics & Rubber Manufacturing inside the Manufacturing supersector).
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
3.99x
2,636
Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing
2.46x
535
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
2.07x
463
Publishing Industries and Telecommunications
1.82x
1,080
Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Misc. Retailers
1.58x
1,551
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar
1.57x
187
Printing and Related Support Activities
1.52x
347

Cluster Depth

Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Manufacturing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
3,518
Cluster Employment
3.99x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
3.99x 2,636
Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing
2.46x 535
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
2.07x 463
Publishing Industries and Telecommunications
1.82x 1,080
Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Misc. Retailers
1.58x 1,551
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar
1.57x 187
Printing and Related Support Activities
1.52x 347

Attraction Opportunities

LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.18x
Warehousing and Storage
227 employed
0.21x
Wood Product Manufacturing
55 employed
0.40x
Management of Companies and Enterprises
683 employed
0.42x
Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing
92 employed
0.43x
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
126 employed
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing concentrates at 3.99x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy and supports supply-chain attraction strategy.
  • Cluster depth: 7 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
  • Attraction whitespace: 7 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Chittenden County's Top Sectors by Workforce Share
Each rectangle's area is proportional to that sector's share of total private-sector employment across all NAICS supersectors. Hover for exact employment.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW 2025 Annual · Private sector, NAICS supersectors

Housing & Affordability

Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026

Housing Overview

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$439,200
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,646
Rent/Mo
63.9%
Owner-Occ
4.6%
Vacancy
4.5x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average

HUD Fair Market Rents (County Average)

Renter-household-weighted average across 19 town FMR areas · Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,497/mo$1,497 to $1,497
1 Bedroom
$1,651/mo$1,651 to $1,651
2 Bedroom
$2,140/mo$2,140 to $2,140
3 Bedroom
$2,745/mo$2,745 to $2,745
4 Bedroom
$2,833/mo$2,833 to $2,833
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,419/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
  • In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 4.5x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
  • Affordable rent tiers: 3 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,419/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.

Workforce Pipeline

Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition

Labor Market Overview

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
111,891
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 5 min below national avg
21.1 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
19.8%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
88.3%
of prime-age population
Labor force participation rate: 72.2% of working-age population (18-64) 72% Participation
▲ vs 2019

Education & Talent Pipeline

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
56.8%
HS Diploma+
96.1%
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
8,071/yr
University of Vermont 3,329/yr
Champlain College 1,515/yr
Norwich University 1,120/yr
Middlebury College 978/yr
Community College of Vermont 571/yr
Vermont State University 558/yr

Aging Workforce

Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
18.7%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)

Workforce by Occupation

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
53.1%
Service
15.2%
Sales & Office
18.1%
Construction / Maint.
6%
Production / Transport
7.6%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 97,858 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
  • Short commutes: 21.1-minute mean commute is a quality-of-life and labor-access advantage worth surfacing for site selectors.
  • Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 5,964 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.

AI Insights

AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources

Sample AI Insight

Chittenden County shows meaningful potential for computer and electronic product manufacturing attraction, with a 3.99x concentration and 2,636 jobs in this sub-sector.

The interconnected base across computer and electronic product manufacturing, beverage and tobacco product manufacturing, and internet publishing and broadcasting creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.

Industry Shift Analysis

Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100

Prospect Match Scores

Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example

Take it further

AI Insights: Built into ExecutivePulse. Continuous analysis tied to your own pipeline: industry-shift signals, prospect matches, retention prompts.

Managed Services: Prefer to hand it off? Our team delivers the analysis and consulting for you.

Schedule a Demo
Available as premium offerings.

Data Sources

Updated from official federal government data.

Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23

Frequently Asked Questions

Key economic and demographic figures for Chittenden County, Vermont, from federal data sources.

What is the population of Chittenden County, Vermont?

169,758 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the median household income in Chittenden County, Vermont?

$96,759 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Chittenden County, Vermont?

2.2% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).

What is the GDP of Chittenden County, Vermont?

$16.4B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).