Vermont’s economic history has deep roots in agriculture, logging, mining, and manufacturing. Yet, the modern Vermont economy is a diversified mix of industries. Vermont’s economic output (gross domestic product) continued to increase in 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic receded. The largest declines in output were in Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (-37.9%), Educational Services (-8.6%), and Utilities (-7.1%).

Between 2020 and 2021, Vermont’s annual average labor force declined by 12,921 (-3.8%%) to 328,216, its lowest level since 1996. The average annual number of employed persons declined by 5,137 (-1.6%) to 316,941, also the lowest since 1996. The number of unemployed persons increased from  7,784 to 11,275. The post-pandemic unemployment rate fell from an annual average rate of 5.6% in 2020 to 3.4% in 2021. 

Orange County is the tenth most populous county in the State of Vermont and the seventh largest in size. The 2020 Census per capita income in the county is 89.8% of the statewide average while average quarterly wages (2021) are 82.9% of the statewide wage, the eleventh highest quarterly wage in the state. Large industries in the county include healthcare and social services (18.7% of all covered employment) and retail trade (11.2%). Relative to the state as a whole, Orange County has a high concentration of the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry (2.8 percentage points higher than the state share). In 2021, Orange County had the ninth largest labor force in the state with a labor force of 15,227. Since 2010, its labor force has decreased by 9.0%. The county’s annual average unemployment rate for 2021 was 3.2%, lower than the statewide average of 3.4%. The poverty rate among all Orange County residents was 9.7% in 2020, while among children under 18 it was 11.1%, compared to the statewide averages of 10.8% and 12.3%, respectively. The major racial groups by percentage of the population were “White alone” (96.2%) and “two or more races” (2.4%). Of Orange County residents 25 years of age and older, 92.7% hold a high school diploma or higher,while 31.9% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. People 65 years of age and over constitute 21.1% of the population, a number that is expected to grow to 29.7% by 2030. 

Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting accounts for 42 businesses, 295 people are employed, and the average income in the field is $34,011.

Windsor County is the fourth most populous county in the State of Vermont and the largest in size. Its 2020 Census per capita income in the county is 107.8% of the statewide average, while average quarterly wages (2021) are 96.7% of the statewide wage, the third highest quarterly wage in the state. Large industries in the county include Healthcare and social services (13.5% of all covered employment) and accommodation and food services (12.8%). Relative to the state as a whole, Windsor County has a high concentration of the arts, entertainment, and recreation industry (1.1 percentage points higher than the state share). In 2021, Windsor County had the fourth largest labor force in the state, with a labor force of 28,071. Since 2010, its labor force has decreased by 12.0%. The county’s annual average unemployment rate for 2021 was 3.3%, slightly lower than the statewide average of 3.4%. The poverty rate among all Windsor County residents was 9.4% in 2020, while among children under 18 it was 10.9%, compared to the statewide averages of 10.8% and 12.3%, respectively. The major racial groups by percentage of the population were “White alone” (95.6%) and “two or more races” (2.1%). Of Windsor County residents 25 years of age and older, 94.7% hold a high school diploma or higher, while 38.4% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. People 65 years of age and over constitute 23.4% of the population, a number that is expected to grow to 29.9% by 2030

Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting include 50 businesses, 163 people are employed, and the  average income in the field is $32,668.

The Vermont Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) is a planning tool to evaluate the relative vulnerability of populations in different parts of the state. It can be consulted in the event of an emergency, either natural or man-made, to identify populations that may need more assistance. This SVI draws together 16 different measures of vulnerability in three different themes: socioeconomic vulnerability, demographic vulnerability, and housing/transportation vulnerability.  For each of the vulnerability measures, census tracts in the 90th percentile of vulnerability were assigned a flag. These flags were then summed for each theme. Towns are ranked based on flags from 0 to 5.  

There are five socioeconomic measures: Poverty, Unemployment, Income per capita, Education, and Health Insurance.  Based on that flag criteria described above, Bradford received 3 flags, White River Junction, Windsor and Ludlow received one flag.  

There are six demographic vulnerability measures: Children, Elderly, Disability, Single Parent, Minority, and Limited English. Based on the flag system, with a range of zero to four, Royalton and Springfield received 3 flags, and Bradford, Wilder, Woodstock, Windsor, and Ludlow received one flag.

There are five housing/transportation measures: Large Apartment Buildings, Mobile Homes, Crowding, No Vehicle, and Group Quarters with a scale from zero to four.  Bradford, Orange, Washington, Brookfield, Braintree, Randolph, Ludlow, Weathersfield, and Springfield received one flag, while Wilder received three flags with the caveat that there is a high probability of error.

Social Vulnerability Index