The local economy of Vermont and its counties, metro areas and cities, from official US government data, plus daily local gas prices for the state, its counties and metro areas.
Unemployment rate
2.6%
0.0 ptsvs a year ago
Counties: lowest Addison County 2.3%, highest Bennington County 3.3%.
August 2026, seasonally adjusted, preliminary
Average weekly pay
$1,322
+3.0%vs a year ago
304,184 jobs at 33,374 business locations.
Q1 2026, all jobs
New homes permitted
2,231
-16.4%this year vs last year
Most in Chittenden County 946, Washington County 179.
Homes in the last 12 months, to August 2026
People moving in
+27
+0.1 per 1,000residents
17,182 moved in and 17,155 moved out. Most newcomers came from New York.
Net people, 2022 to 2023, the newest year published
Vermont gas price
$4.42
+$1.26vs a year ago
Counties: lowest Bennington County $4.29, highest Grand Isle County $4.51. Counties and metro areas
Regular, per gallon, Vermont, October 9, 2026
Newest data: -. Not seasonally adjusted: compare with the same month a year earlier. Click a row for the history of that area.
The state, its counties and metro areas, updated daily. A separate series from the weekly survey prices above.
Business locations, employees and payroll by industry, 2023. Click an industry for its US report.
Business locations
21K
-0.1%vs 2022
2023, places with paid employees
Employees
256K
+0.8%vs 2022
Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance (18.9%).
2023, mid-March
Annual payroll
$14.4B
Wages and salaries paid during the year.
2023, all industries
Average pay
$55,981
Highest sector: Utilities $122,005.
Per employee per year
Share of Vermont's employees, 2023
| Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 17,288 | $26,275 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 13,856 | $81,607 |
| Traveler Accommodation | 11,908 | $30,788 |
| Grocery Stores | 9,481 | $28,366 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | 8,332 | $34,789 |
| Outpatient Care Centers | 5,741 | $58,505 |
| Other Amusement and Recreation Industries | 5,690 | $24,958 |
| Individual and Family Services | 4,967 | $42,049 |
| Offices of Physicians | 4,885 | $82,437 |
| Services to Buildings and Dwellings | 4,680 | $35,908 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 4,516 | $65,630 |
| Depository Credit Intermediation | 3,864 | $74,399 |
Most values are changed slightly to protect the privacy of single businesses; a few are withheld and shown as a range. Counties and metro areas have the same numbers in the area card above (Industries).
Cost, students and graduate earnings of the colleges in the state, from official public data.
The newest unemployment rate, pay, new home permits, moves and gas price for Vermont, updated as new official numbers come out.
Unemployment for Vermont is seasonally adjusted; for its counties, metro areas and cities it is not, so compare a month with the same month a year earlier. Pay covers all jobs that pay into unemployment insurance. Building permits count homes approved to be built, not homes sold. Moves count households by where they filed their tax returns in two years in a row. Daily gas prices are average pump prices for Vermont, its counties and metro areas on the day shown. The weekly gas prices in the explorer come from a separate weekly survey that publishes a price for only some states, so a state without one shows the price of its region there; the two series are never combined.
The unemployment rate in Vermont was 2.6% in August 2026 (seasonally adjusted, preliminary), compared with 2.6% a year earlier. 329,224 people were employed out of a labor force of 337,925. Among its counties, Addison County had the lowest rate (2.3%) and Bennington County the highest (3.3%, not seasonally adjusted).
Average weekly pay in Vermont was $1,322 in Q1 2026, up 3.0% from a year earlier, across 304,184 jobs at 33,374 business locations.
Building permits were issued for 146 new homes in Vermont in August 2026 (124 single-family and 10 in buildings with 5 or more units). From January to August the total was 1,105, down 16.4% from the same months last year, and 2,231 in the last 12 months. The most homes were permitted in Chittenden County (946), Washington County (179), Franklin County (167) over the last 12 months.
Yes. From 2022 to 2023, 17,182 people moved to Vermont and 17,155 moved away, a net gain of 27 (+0.1 per 1,000 residents). Most newcomers came from New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and most people who left went to New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts.
Regular gasoline in Vermont averaged $4.42 per gallon on October 9, 2026, up $1.26 from a year earlier. Diesel averaged $6.39. Among its counties, Bennington County had the lowest regular price ($4.29) and Grand Isle County the highest ($4.51).
Health Care and Social Assistance (48,409 employees), Retail Trade (37,491 employees), Accommodation and Food Services (32,546 employees) were the largest sectors in Vermont in 2023. In all, 20,841 business locations employed 256,460 people at an average pay of $55,981 a year.