About one in 10 people in Bennington County, Vermont, lives below the poverty line
In Bennington County, 9.9% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 78% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bennington County's score
In Bennington County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 91.8. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 17.5. Bankruptcy filings ran at 45.7 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bennington County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, Bennington County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (36.6%, 2020 to 2024) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (25.1%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.8 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent36.6% · 2020 to 202499th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.1% · fiscal year 202783rd percentile
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- 39.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202622nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.9% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
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- 31.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.9% · 202421st percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.6% · 202420th percentile
- People with a disability16.4% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- People without health insurance5.4% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,854 · 202436th percentile
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- 28.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.9% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.3% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.5% · second quarter of 202623rd percentile
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- 17.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.1% · August 202526th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people45.7 · 20258th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Bennington County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Bennington County, 24.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bennington County
Vermont
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Bennington County had its largest rise, from 16.3% in 2004 to 22.7% in 2009.
In Bennington County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 22.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Bennington County, Vermont, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bennington County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 14.9% in 2012 to 17.9% in 2013.
The share of households in Bennington County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 15.4%
Low on the chart: 12.1% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Bennington County, Vermont.
How Bennington County has changed
Bennington County's population had its largest rise, from 28,669 in 1969 to 31,131 in 1974.
Bennington County's population rose 29% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 37,290 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bennington County, Vermont.
The number of jobs located in Bennington County had its largest rise, from 17,117 in 1995 to 19,147 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Bennington County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 19,147 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bennington County, Vermont.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.3% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.6% | 2024 9.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,904 | 2024 $71,854 |
The table uses 3.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Bennington County's history
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 37,347, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bennington County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bennington County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Bennington County, in Vermont, New York and Massachusetts, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bennington County ranks 6th of the eight; Rutland County is highest, at 33.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, NY | 51 | 11.6% | 27.4% |
| Berkshire County, MA | 43 | 11.3% | 27.1% |
| Franklin County, MA | 37 | 10.2% | 28.5% |
| Bennington County, VT | 35 | 9.9% | 22.9% |
| Rensselaer County, NY | 34 | 11.2% | 21.4% |
| Rutland County, VT | 29 | 10.0% | 33.2% |
| Windham County, VT | 20 | 11.4% | 25.7% |
| Windsor County, VT | 15 | 9.2% | 21.4% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Bennington County the poorest county in Vermont?
No, Bennington County's poverty rate was 9.9% in 2024, 6th highest of 14 in Vermont (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Essex County, at 13.8%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Bennington County ranks 2nd of 14 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bennington County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Bennington-rutland Opportunity Council, Inc.- Vermont
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Vermont Legal Aid
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Bennington County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Bennington County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.