Unemployment in Caledonia County, Vermont, is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties
In Caledonia County, 2.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Caledonia County's score
In Caledonia County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 73.2. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 12.9. Bankruptcy filings ran at 22.9 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Caledonia 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.
Caledonia County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 73.2 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 rent22.1% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.3% · fiscal year 202773rd percentile
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- 33.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.0% · 202430th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.3% · 202419th percentile
- People with a disability17.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- People without health insurance4.0% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,356 · 202444th percentile
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- 26.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.1% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.1% · second quarter of 202622nd percentile
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- 15.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20266th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.5% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
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- 12.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.5% · August 202524th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people22.9 · 20251st 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 Caledonia 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 Caledonia County, 23.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Caledonia County
Vermont
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Caledonia County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 27.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Caledonia County, Vermont, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Caledonia County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.5% in 2011 to 15.7% in 2012.
The share of households in Caledonia County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 12.4% 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, Caledonia County, Vermont.
How Caledonia County has changed
Caledonia County's population had its largest rise, from 22,597 in 1969 to 24,239 in 1974.
Caledonia County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30,535
High on the chart: 31,213 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Caledonia County, Vermont.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Caledonia County rose 15% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 11,590 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Caledonia County, Vermont.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.4% | 2024 11.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,354 | 2024 $68,356 |
The table uses 2.8% for 2025; the score uses 2.7% 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 Caledonia County's history
1792
Created November 5, 1792, from Chittenden and Orange Counties. Wikipedia
1861
Vermont 6th Infantry recruited in 1861 with Caledonian volunteers. Wikipedia
2003
E.T. & H.K. Ide Company grain wholesaler closed 2003. Wikipedia
2008
Federal disaster area from storms and flooding. Wikipedia
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 31,227. The 2020 Census counted 30,233, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A flood in August 2011 did $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flash flood in July 2024 did $3 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flash flood in July 2024 did $1 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flash flood in July 2024 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
31 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Caledonia County, 23 of them for flooding. FEMA
Caledonia County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Caledonia County, in Vermont and New Hampshire, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Caledonia County ranks 3rd of the seven; Orleans County is highest, at 31.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, VT | 36 | 13.8% | 31.1% |
| Orleans County, VT | 33 | 11.9% | 31.4% |
| Caledonia County, VT | 20 | 11.0% | 27.3% |
| Orange County, VT | 12 | 9.8% | 23.0% |
| Grafton County, NH | 9 | 9.6% | 16.7% |
| Washington County, VT | 6 | 6.1% | 20.2% |
| Lamoille County, VT | 5 | 8.9% | 18.6% |
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 Caledonia County the poorest county in Vermont?
No, Caledonia County's poverty rate was 11.0% in 2024, 4th 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, Caledonia County ranks 7th of 14 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Caledonia 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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Gilman Housing Trust, Inc. Dba Ruraledge
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 Caledonia 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 Caledonia County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.