Official Federal Data
Essex County, Vermont
FIPS 50009 · Population 5,982
8 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$59,294 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.6% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$183M ▲
GDP
21.5% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 5,982 residents. These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates, which carry a wide margin of error for places under 20,000 people. Read each value as an approximate range, and treat year-over-year changes as indicative rather than exact. A small shift can reflect survey sampling, not a real change on the ground.
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
$59,294 ▲
Per Capita
$36,657 ▲
Mean Household
$79,239 ▲
Poverty Rate
13.8% ▲approx.
Median Income Comparison
Essex County$59,294
Vermont$81,203
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 16.7%
18-34 · 15.7%
35-54 · 22.8%
55-64 · 17.2%
65+ · 27.6%
Race & Ethnicity
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+
89.7%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +0.1 pts
21.5%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 14.2 pts
8.8%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 5.3 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
5,982
Population
2,822
Labor Force
Employed
2,685
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.6% ▲ +0.4 pts YoY
Mean Commute 2 min above national avg
28.1 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
10.1%
Key Takeaways
- Income gap: Households earn meaningfully less than the national median, which directly affects retail demand, housing absorption, and tax base.
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 14.2 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
- Aging population: Median age of 52 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.
Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
81
Cluster Employment
22.49x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Crop Production
22.49x 81
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Crop Production concentrates at 22.49x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$172,500 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$827 ▲
Rent/Mo
82.4% ▲
Owner-Occ
43% ▼
Vacancy
2.9x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
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
$780/mo$780 to $780
1 Bedroom
$919/mo$919 to $919
2 Bedroom
$1,007/mo$1,007 to $1,007
3 Bedroom
$1,400/mo$1,400 to $1,400
4 Bedroom
$1,640/mo$1,640 to $1,640
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,482/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 2.9x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
- High home ownership: 82.4% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Elevated vacancy: 43% vacancy rate. In resort, rural, and seasonal markets much of this is recreational/seasonal (second homes), not available supply; confirm the vacancy-by-reason split before treating it as a redevelopment opportunity.
- Affordable rent tiers: 4 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,482/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
3,332 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 2 min above national avg
28.1 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
10.1%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
73.8%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
21.5% ▲
HS Diploma+
89.7% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
8,071/yr
3,329/yr
1,515/yr
1,120/yr
978/yr
571/yr
558/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
30.8%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
34.6%
Service
19.8%
Sales & Office
14.6%
Construction / Maint.
15.3%
Production / Transport
15.6%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 2,685 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 30.8% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Low participation: 56.6% labor force participation suggests untapped capacity; workforce development programs may unlock supply.
- 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 8 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Essex County shows strong potential for crop production attraction, with a 22.49x concentration and 81 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 30.8% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
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
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
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 Essex County, Vermont, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Essex County, Vermont?
5,982 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Essex County, Vermont?
$59,294 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Essex County, Vermont?
3.6% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Essex County, Vermont?
$183M (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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