Kids Count Data Center

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.