Vermont’s wage distribution and employment profile is outlined below.
How much money do Vermonters earn?
How big is the labor force supporting the state’s tax base?
Where do Vermonters earn a living?
Vermont Wage Distribution: Salary/Wage Employment 2016
| % Of Workers | Earning Less Than: |
| 10% | $21,740 |
| 25% | $27,150 |
| 50% | $37,920 |
| 75% | $56,400 |
| 90% | $80,800 |
| Average Vermont Wage | $47,620 |
Source: Vermont Department of Labor
Vermont Total Average Employment: 2016
| Total Salary/Wage Employment | 308,575 |
| Total Self-Employment & Unpaid Family Workers | 60,300 |
| Total Vermont Employment | 368,875 |
Source: Vermont Department of Labor
Salary/Wage Employment by Occupation and Average Annual Wage, April 2017(data excludes self-employed workers)
| % Total Employment | Average Annual Wage | |
| Local, State, Federal Government | 17.7 | $49,520 |
| Health Services | 16.3 | $44,000 |
| Retail Trade | 12.1 | $29,067 |
| Leisure & Hospitality | 12.0 | $21,466 |
| Manufacturing | 9.3 | $55,600 |
| Professional Services | 8.9 | $59,066 |
| Other Trade, Transport & Utilities | 5.6 | $57,394 |
| Construction | 5.0 | $46,666 |
| Education | 4.3 | $47,333 |
| Financial Activities | 3.7 | $73,200 |
| Mining & Logging | 0.2 | $58,000 |
Source: Vermont Department of Labor. Note: Average Annual Wages were calculated by annualizing the first three quarters of 2016, as full year data was not available.
Key Observations
Low Wage State: 25% of Vermont employees earns less than $27,150/year, mostly in Retail, Leisure and Hospitality.
Importance of Government Employment: 22% of Vermonters work for the local, state or federal government or in education, most of which is publically funded.
Health Care is the Biggest Industry: 16.3% of Vermonters work in Health Services, not surprising given the aging population of the state. Medicaid and Medicare, the two key government health programs, fund a majority of Vermont’s health care industry.
Tax Supported Jobs are Important: About 38% of total salary/wage employment is either fully supported by tax revenues (government jobs, K-12 education) or partially supported (Vermont colleges, health care). Private sector activity under government contracts would add to this.
As someone who lives very near too the border and works in New Hampshire, I would be very interested to know how many Vermonters are employed and actually work in New Hampshire. Orange and Windsor counties alone have large numbers of Vermont workers that are employed by Dartmouth College, Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital and many private businesses in the Hanover, Lebanon and the surrounding areas of new Hampshire.
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