About one in six people with a credit file in Orleans County, Vermont, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Orleans County, 15.7% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector (Urban Institute, Debt in America, August 2025). That is lower than in 79% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Orleans County's score
In Orleans County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 77.7. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 15.0. Bankruptcy filings ran at 47.2 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Even so, Orleans County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.6%, fiscal year 2027).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Orleans County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 77.7 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorHUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.6% · fiscal year 202781st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent22.2% · 2020 to 202473rd percentile
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- 46.5 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.0% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.5% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202665th percentile
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- 40.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line14.4% · 202435th percentile
- People with a disability17.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,367 · 202451st percentile
- People below the poverty line11.9% · 202439th percentile
- People without health insurance4.4% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
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- 18.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.3% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a credit card behind2.6% · August 20257th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score18.6% · Q4 202527th percentile
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- 15.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.7% · August 202521st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people47.2 · 20258th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Orleans County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Orleans County
Vermont
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Orleans County in 2024, pay from work was 50 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 19 cents. Benefit checks were 31 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 11 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Orleans County, benefit checks rose from 11 to 31 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Orleans County, Vermont: 31.4% and 50.0% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 31.4% of all personal income in Orleans County, Vermont (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Orleans County, 23.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Orleans County has changed
The number of people living in Orleans County grew by about 39% between 1969 and 2024, from 20,008 to 27,726. The number of jobs located there grew by about 28% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.4% in 1990 to 4.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 20,008 | 2024 27,726 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 8,230 | 2024 10,532 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.4% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.7% | 2024 11.9% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $22,248 | 2024 $66,367 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 11.2% | 2024 31.4% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Orleans County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 27,393, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1792
Created November 5, 1792, from Chittenden and Orange Counties. Wikipedia
1810
Runaway Pond flooded Barton River Valley in 1810. Wikipedia
1864
Battle of the Weldon Railroad captured 267 from 11th Vermont Infantry. Wikipedia
1909
Hops crop disappeared due to disease and Prohibition. Wikipedia
1987
Thunderstorm wind: two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
Flash flood: $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
Asbestos mine exposure linked to health effects in Orleans County. Wikipedia
2011
Flood: $500 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
33 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Orleans County, 22 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Orleans County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Orleans County, one scores higher. Of the group, Orleans County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (31.4%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, VT | 37 | 13.8% | 31.1% |
| Orleans County, VT | 31 | 11.9% | 31.4% |
| Franklin County, VT | 23 | 8.8% | 20.0% |
| Caledonia County, VT | 21 | 11.0% | 27.3% |
| Lamoille County, VT | 6 | 8.9% | 18.6% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Orleans County the poorest county in Vermont?
No, Orleans County's poverty rate was 11.9% in 2024, 2nd 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, Orleans County ranks 3rd of 14 in the state.
Orleans County in photographs
Places in Orleans County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Orleans County Courthouse in Newport, Vermont, USA.
Orleans County, Vermont: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Orleans County, Vermont?
11.9% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in eight people. Among children it was 14.4%.
Is Orleans County the poorest county in Vermont?
No, Orleans County's poverty rate was 11.9% in 2024, 2nd 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, Orleans County ranks 3rd of 14 in the state.
What is the population of Orleans County, Vermont?
About 27,726 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 27,393, the most of any census.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Orleans County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Vermont Legal Aid
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,311 approved agencies 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 Orleans County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Orleans County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.