Essex Junction, South Burlington, 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.
Essex Junction in particular houses the richest residents in the state thanks, in part, to a median household income of $92,589 and a ridiculously low poverty rate of 10.293840647956301%.
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 2018-2022 American Community Survey for the 13 places in Vermont with more than 2,000 people.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Richest Places In Vermont For 2024
For more on how we calculated the top ten, read on or skip to the end for the full list of the richest cities in Vermont.
Rich people not your cup of tea? Feel free to check out some more reading about Vermont:
The 10 Richest Cities In Vermont For 2024
1. Essex Junction
/10
Population: 10,646
Median Income: $92,589
Median Home Values: $498,949
More on Essex Junction: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
2. South Burlington
/10
Population: 20,241
Median Income: $90,410
Median Home Values: $462,054
More on South Burlington: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
3. Montpelier
/10
Population: 8,030
Median Income: $76,143
Median Home Values: $400,336
More on Montpelier: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
4. Burlington
/10
Population: 44,646
Median Income: $64,931
Median Home Values: $503,909
More on Burlington: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
5. Winooski
/10
Population: 8,122
Median Income: $69,783
Median Home Values: $399,286
More on Winooski: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
6. Vergennes
/10
7. Swanton
/10
8. Morrisville
/10
Population: 2,576
Median Income: $63,339
Median Home Values: $332,070
More on Morrisville: Data | Real Estate
9. Barre
/10
Population: 8,488
Median Income: $53,798
Median Home Values: $287,477
More on Barre: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
10. St. Albans
/10
Population: 6,891
Median Income: $49,736
Median Home Values: $342,754
More on St. Albans: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Methodology: How We Determined The Richest Places In Vermont For 2024
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the richest places is simply identifying personal incomes. After all, rich people have really high salaries.
However, we don’t believe that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “richest places.” So we looked at this set of criteria from the newly released 2018-2022 American Community Survey and applied Saturday Night Science:
- Median Home Values
- Median Household Income
Median household income is the most digestible way to understand how rich a place is. And home values are a measure of wealth. The two combine to define a “Rich City.”
After we collected the data for all 13 places with more than 2,000 people in Vermont, we ranked each place from 1 to 13 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the richest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Rich Score,” with the place having the lowest overall Rich Score, Essex Junction, crowned the “Richest City In Vermont For 2024.”
The data has been updated for 2024. This is our tenth time ranking the wealthiest cities in Vermont.
You can skip to the end to see the rankings for all 13 places.
Summary: The Wealthiest Places In Vermont For 2024
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the richest places in Vermont, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Vermont.
The richest cities in Vermont are Essex Junction, South Burlington, Montpelier, Burlington, Winooski, Vergennes, Swanton, Morrisville, Barre, and St. Albans.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very top of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the poorest cities in Vermont, according to data:
Poorest: Bellows Falls
2nd Poorest: Newport
3rd Poorest: Rutland
For more Vermont reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Richest Cities In Vermont
| Rank | City | RichScore | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essex Junction | 1.5 | $92,589 | $498,949 |
| 2 | South Burlington | 2.5 | $90,410 | $462,054 |
| 3 | Montpelier | 3.5 | $76,143 | $400,336 |
| 4 | Burlington | 4.0 | $64,931 | $503,909 |
| 5 | Winooski | 5.5 | $69,783 | $399,286 |
| 6 | Vergennes | 6.0 | $72,171 | $342,717 |
| 7 | Swanton | 6.5 | $73,365 | $327,915 |
| 8 | Morrisville | 8.0 | $63,339 | $332,070 |
| 9 | Barre | 9.5 | $53,798 | $287,477 |
| 10 | St. Albans | 9.5 | $49,736 | $342,754 |
| 11 | Rutland | 10.5 | $53,304 | $245,284 |
| 12 | Newport | 11.5 | $53,026 | $241,536 |
| 13 | Bellows Falls | 12.5 | $52,813 | $214,292 |