Poverty
Each year represents the rolling average of data for three years. For
example, the year 2004 is the average of 2002, 2003, and 2004.
IMPORTANT NOTE: pre- and post-2005 SAIPE data are not
comparable as the source data have changed. Starting in 2008, all data (except Essex and Grand Isle counties) are from the
American Community Survey (ACS) and should not be compared to data prior
to 2008.
1989-2007, U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. For information on methodology and confidence intervals, go to:
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/saipe/index.html
2008-2011, U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey. For more information, go to: http://www.census.gov/acs/www/index.html
For all years, Essex and Grand Isle counties were calculated using the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE).
The estimated number of children under age 18 who are living in families with incomes below the federal poverty threshold. The threshold, defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, is updated annually and adjusted for family size. In 2010, the poverty threshold for a family of two children and two adults was $22,113.
Poverty is not evenly distributed in Vermont. Although no child is immune from it, rural children are far more likely to live in poverty than children in more populated parts of the state. Vermont’s rural places are those that retain the best elements of our Green Mountain State—its independence, beauty, and strong family ties. But they also may show how isolation, and lack of access to good jobs, affordable and quality child care, social services, and medical care can create long-standing poverty. As the most rural region, the Northeast Kingdom consistently has the highest rates of child poverty, unemployment, low-wage jobs, and low educational achievement. More populated areas that have poverty rates nearly as high include Burlington, Winooski, and Bennington County.