Northeast · Updated October 2026
Vermont in numbers, from the same public data Locustep uses to rank all 50 states: rent, pay, taxes, safety, disaster risk and weather, plus the cities worth a look.
Two-bedroom rent
$1,773/mo
U.S. average $1,759
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state)
Rent vs. income
25.7%
of median household income for a year of two-bedroom rent
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 ÷ 2024 ACS 1-year estimates (Census B19013)
State income tax
8.75%
top marginal rate, single filer
State revenue departments, 2026 income tax rates (sources listed per state)
Property tax
1.42%
effective rate on owner-occupied homes
Everyday costs
99.9
index, housing excluded (U.S. = 100)
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (released February 2026), housing and utilities removed
Natural disaster risk
26th
percentile, FEMA expected annual loss (lower is safer)
What to weigh: the 9th heaviest state and local tax bill, the 9th biggest rent-to-income bite, the 7th highest property taxes and the 8th highest top income-tax rate.
Overall, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 9.3% of it in state and local income, property and sales tax here, the 9th highest of the 50 states.
Average afternoon highs and overnight lows in Burlington (Burlington Intl Airport station), NOAA 1991–2020 normals.
| Season | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 32°F | 16°F |
| Spring (Mar–May) | 55°F | 36°F |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 80°F | 60°F |
| Fall (Sep–Nov) | 59°F | 42°F |
$2,165/mo two-bedroom · $1,719 one-bedroom (Burlington-South Burlington, VT MSA)
Burlington is a small, progressive city on Lake Champlain with the University of Vermont, a pedestrian main street and mountains on both sides. Winters are long, housing is scarce and expensive, and the job market is small.
$1,535/mo two-bedroom · $1,237 one-bedroom (Lamoille County, VT)
Stowe is a classic New England ski village beneath Mount Mansfield — beautiful, expensive, and seasonal. Tiny year-round population and an economy built on the mountain.
$1,783/mo two-bedroom · $1,363 one-bedroom (Washington County, VT)
Montpelier is the smallest state capital in the country, a walkable village of government workers and a culinary institute. Charming, cold, and very quiet.
$1,503/mo two-bedroom · $1,343 one-bedroom (Bennington County, VT)
Manchester, Vermont is a small southern-Vermont resort town with outlet shopping, skiing and second homes. Scenic, seasonal, and expensive relative to local wages.
$1,541/mo two-bedroom · $1,178 one-bedroom (Rutland County, VT)
Rutland is a small central Vermont city near Killington ski resort, with a marble-quarrying past. Among the most affordable places in Vermont, with a slower economy.
$1,605/mo two-bedroom · $1,304 one-bedroom (Windham County, VT)
Brattleboro is a quirky, arts-minded town in southeast Vermont on the Connecticut River, close to Massachusetts. Progressive and creative, with limited jobs and rising housing costs.
$1,327/mo two-bedroom · $1,161 one-bedroom (Caledonia County, VT)
St. Johnsbury is the main town of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, with a historic athenaeum and a quiet, rural setting. Very cheap for Vermont, remote, with long cold winters.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state) (metro areas). City notes: Locustep.
Closest on Locustep’s match factors: cost, housing, taxes, safety, jobs, schools, healthcare, outdoors, disaster risk and climate.
Ranks compare the 50 states. Locustep updates these figures when the agencies publish new data.
Yes. Vermont’s top marginal income-tax rate for a single filer is 8.75% (Vermont tax law, 2026). Counting property and sales tax too, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 9.3% of income in state and local taxes (Locustep estimate, 2026).
A typical two-bedroom rents for about $1,773 a month and a one-bedroom for about $1,431, using HUD’s FY2027 Fair Market Rents averaged across the state by population. That is $14 more than the U.S. average of $1,759. Rent in the bigger metros can be well above the state figure.
Leaving housing aside, everyday prices (goods and services other than housing) index at 99.9 against a U.S. average of 100 (BEA, 2024), and the median home value indexes at 97.8 against the U.S. median (Census, 2024). Two-bedroom rent takes 25.7% of the state’s median household income of $82,730.
Vermont recorded 219.1 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024 (FBI), the 11th lowest rate of the 50 states. Crime varies a lot between and within cities, so check the specific area you’re considering.
The main hazards are flooding and severe winter storms. On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Vermont’s expected yearly loss from natural hazards sits at the 26th percentile nationally (lower is safer). Risk differs sharply by county, so look up the county too.
Places people most often weigh include Burlington, Stowe, Montpelier, Manchester and Rutland. Each has a different cost, climate and character; Locustep compares their rent, disaster risk, weather and pay side by side.