Unemployment in Rutland County, Vermont, is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties
In Rutland County, 2.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Rutland County's score
In Rutland County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 87.7. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 18.3. Bankruptcy filings ran at 43.1 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Rutland 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, Rutland County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (26.6%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 87.7 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 rent24.7% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.6% · fiscal year 202789th percentile
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- 32.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202610th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
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- 27.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.0% · 202422nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.1% · 202423rd percentile
- People with a disability15.2% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- People without health insurance3.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,554 · 202442nd percentile
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- 24.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.2% · August 202517th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.2% · second quarter of 202620th percentile
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- 18.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.8% · August 202529th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people43.1 · 20257th 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 Rutland 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 Rutland County, 24.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Rutland County
Vermont
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Rutland County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 33.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Rutland County, Vermont, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Rutland County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.8% in 2011 to 15.7% in 2012.
The share of households in Rutland County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 10.7%
Low on the chart: 10.0% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Rutland County, Vermont.
How Rutland County has changed
Rutland County's population had its largest rise, from 51,763 in 1969 to 55,166 in 1974.
Rutland County's population rose 16% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 63,257 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Rutland County, Vermont.
The number of jobs located in Rutland County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 27,492 in 2015 to 24,020 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Rutland County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 29,698 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Rutland County, Vermont.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.6% | 2025 3.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.9% | 2024 10.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,955 | 2024 $69,554 |
The table uses 3.0% for 2025; the score uses 2.9% 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 Rutland County's history
1781
Created February 16, 1781, from Bennington County. Wikipedia
1894
First polio outbreak in United States in 1894. Wikipedia
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 63,400. The 2020 Census counted 60,572, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
2008
A flash flood in June 2008 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in August 2011 did $50 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in August 2011 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A thunderstorm in July 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Rutland County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Rutland County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Rutland County, in Vermont and New York, two score higher. Of the group, Rutland County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (33.2%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington County, NY | 51 | 11.6% | 27.4% |
| Bennington County, VT | 35 | 9.9% | 22.9% |
| Rutland County, VT | 29 | 10.0% | 33.2% |
| Windsor County, VT | 15 | 9.2% | 21.4% |
| Addison County, VT | 7 | 8.0% | 18.4% |
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 Rutland County the poorest county in Vermont?
No, Rutland County's poverty rate was 10.0% in 2024, 5th 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, Rutland County ranks 4th of 14 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Rutland 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. (BROC)
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Neighborworks of Western 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 Rutland 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 Rutland County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.