Vermont Population 2014
The north eastern US state of Vermont is the 45th largest in the USA and the 49th largest by population – the only state with fewer people is Wyoming. Despite its small size and population, it does make good use of its space with a population density that ranks 30th in the country.
The current population of the Green Mountain State is estimated at 626,146 in 2013, which is up very slightly from the confirmed 2010 population of 625,741. Vermont has one of the slowest growth rates in the country at only 0.02%, which ranks 49th.
Vermont Population 2014
The last official US census was carried out in 2010 and this confirmed that the population of Vermont at the time was 625,741 which represented a modest 2.8% rise on the figures declared at the Census of 2000.
You can see how the population rose and fell in each individual county by using the interactive map below. Counties colored in orange saw a population decrease, and counties colored in blue saw an increase – the darker the blue, the higher the percentage increase.
Estimations of Vermont's 2013 population show a population that has grown modestly to 626,146.
Vermont has a very tiny surface area of just 9,620 square miles (24,923 square kilometers) but for every square mile of Vermont territory, there is an average of 67.7 people. This number can be converted to 26.1 for every square kilometer, making Vermont the 30th most densely populated state in the entire country.
Population of Vermont Cities
There are no major urban areas in Vermont which, given its small overall population, isn’t surprising. Vermont has only 9 incorporated cities, and only three of them have a population of more than 10,000. Burlington is the state’s largest city, home to just over 42,. The second largest city is South Burlington (pop: 17,904) and together the two cities combine with a number of other towns and cities to make up the Burlington Metropolitan area containing more than 200,000 people.
The state capital, Montpelier, is only Vermont’s fifth largest city. It has 7,855 residents. Interestingly, Vermont is the only state in the country that does not have a single building taller than 124 feet (38 meters).
Vermont's racial composition according to the 2010 Census was:
- 94.3% non-Hispanic White
- 1.3% Asian
- 1.5% Hispanic
- 1.0% Black
- 0.4% Native American
- 1.7% two or more races
Vermont has the second oldest median age, which presents a real problem in terms of growth. It also has one of the lowest proportions of both Hispanics and Blacks, but the second highest proportion of non-Hispanic whites.
The most common ancestry groups include French or French Canadian (23.9%), English (18.6%), Irish (17.9%), German (10.3%), Italian (7.5%), American (7.0%) and Scottish (5.0%).
It's also interesting to note that Vermont is considered the least religious state in the country with only 23% of residents considering themselves "very religious," and it has the fifth highest percentage of divorced people in the country.
Vermont Population History
Like most areas on the eastern side of the US, Vermont had a healthy population in the latter part of the 18th century and by 1790 there were already 85,425 people living in the Green Mountain State.
Just ten years later in 1800, that figure had grown by over 80% to 154,465 and by 1810, numbers had exceeded 200,000 for the very first time.
Unlike some other states however, growth slowed down considerably from this point onwards and in fact, there have been two censuses in history (1920 and 1940) that have revealed a drop in the Vermont population on a decade by decade basis.
The overall picture however is one of very slow growth and Vermont's current population has still not broken 650,000.
Vermont Population Growth
Figures relating to natural growth in Vermont reveal some healthy statistics and in 2005, the US Census bureau released some findings in this respect. These showed that in the five years since the 2000 census, there had been an increase of 7,148 people due to 33,606 births minus 26,458 deaths and furthermore, there had been a rise due to net migration of 7,889 people into Vermont.
Unfortunately, Vermont's previously healthy growth became stagnant, dropping from double digit climbs from the 1970's through the 1990's to reach its current growth rate of just 0.02%.
According to Vermont's former governor, the biggest challenge facing the state's economy is not high taxes, reform of health care of government bureaucracy but simply its long-term demographic trends, which show that Vermont's labor force is shrinking steadily.
Vermont has a median age of the work force of 42.3, which is the highest in the nation. Combine this with the second lowest birthrate in the nation and very little migration into the state and it's not hard to see why Vermont's population is growing so slowly.
Estimates show that Vermont's total population growth rate will remain positive for some time, although it will continue to decline for the foreseeable future. It's currently projected that Vermont's population will still fail to break 650,000 by 2020.
Population Data via US Census