Burlington-South Burlington, VT

Metro Area Profile

227,846 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Burlington-South Burlington, VT metropolitan area.

73out of 100
Area Score
Top 16% of 379 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
OpportunityTop 30% of 379 published metros66
GrowthTop 31% of 821 published metros62
Housing affordability655th of 822 published metros80
Climate661st of 822 published metros58
Physical resilienceTop 4% of 822 published metros91
AccessTop 36% of 822 published metros83
Economic stabilityTop 8% of 822 published metros85
The quick read

Unemployment is 2.4% and median household income $93,043, putting employment conditions in the middle range of published metro profiles.

Development activity is both elevated and accelerating — 1,171 housing units permitted over the past twelve months, up 54% on the prior year.

Natural-hazard exposure is lower than in most comparable published metro profiles, placing Burlington-South Burlington in the top 4% for physical resilience.

At a glance

Population
227,846
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$93,043
Top 6% nationally
Density
182/sq mi
1249.6 sq mi of land
Median age
38.5
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Metro area
Burlington-South Burlington, VT
Nearest major airport
PBG
21 mi · Plattsburgh Intl
Median home value
$401,000
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 2.4% is lower than 99% of the 379 measured US metros.

Employment fell 3.2% over the past year, to 123,162 employed residents.

50% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 97% of measured US metros.

Household income is higher than at least 94% of measured US metros.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$2,393$93,043Top 6%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$969$49,764Top 6%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate9.8%Bottom 14%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute24.4 minTop 47%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher50.2%Top 3%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment123,162Top 48%June 2026
Employment change (3 years)-4.3%Bottom 8%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-3.2%Bottom 7%June 2026
Labor force126,154Top 49%June 2026
Labor force participation68.9%Top 5%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$74,360Top 6%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$60,020Top 4%2025 OEWS
Metro employment120,150Top 46%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)-0.1%Bottom 39%June 2026
Unemployment rate2.4%Bottom 1%June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032025/102026/063.51.6
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 2.4% in June 2026. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.
Largest occupations — Burlington-South Burlington, VT
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Retail Salespersons3,550$37,330
Registered Nurses3,150$98,330
General and Operations Managers2,930$98,430
Fast Food and Counter Workers2,770$37,190
Cashiers2,590$36,880
Stockers and Order Fillers2,230$37,780

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,581 takes 20% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 4.3 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
20.4%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
4.3×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,581
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$401,000
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income4.31Top 22%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate67.6%Bottom 36%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±110103,233Top 23%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$33$1,581Top 7%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$7,466$401,000Top 12%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income20.4%Top 26%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate8.4%Bottom 27%2024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
62/ 100
Top 31% of 821 published city profiles
Permitting is increasing, measured from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 2% since 2020, reaching 229,445 in 2024.

60% of recently permitted units are in buildings of five or more homes, so new supply is concentrated in apartments and condominiums rather than detached houses.

At 5.1 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metros.

Units permitted
1,171
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
5.1
Top 25% nationally
Year over year
+54%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
60.4%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
20202021202220232024229k226k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population.

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 82°F and January a low of 13°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 37.5 inches, including 87.5 inches of snow.

0°20°40°60°80°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station BURLINGTON INTL AP, 16.2 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND4.3"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation37.5"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall87.5"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low13°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high82°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months51991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing52°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

91 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are earthquake, cold wave and lightning.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 79% of measured US metros.

Winter weatherModerate
LightningModerate
Ice stormModerate
EarthquakeElevated
HurricaneModerate
Heat waveElevated
Cold waveModerate

Low or minimal exposure: landslide, inland flooding, avalanche, strong wind, tornado, wildfire, hail.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

What this profile does not cover

Three things people look for are missing from every AreaProfile page, and each is missing for a reason rather than by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Reported crime
The FBI’s Crime Data Explorer is the only source for reported offences with national coverage and a published method, and it requires an API key AreaProfile does not hold. Arrest counts, news volume and commercial “safety scores” are not substituted in the meantime. What is published above under Safety is a different measurement — deaths rather than offences, from death certificates rather than police returns — and it covers no property crime at all.
Taxes
No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, transparent methodology and update cadence. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Full cost of living
No public source publishes one with national coverage and a documented method. Housing affordability above is computed from published rent, price and income, and excludes transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes — commuting cost in particular tends to offset suburban housing savings.

Access

1 major airport lies within 100 miles, the nearest 21 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Plattsburgh IntlPBG21 mi11,759 ft
Albany IntlALB139 mi8,500 ft
Manchester Boston RgnlMHT145 mi9,250 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
73
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)

Profile recalculated August 30, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.