Unemployment in Windham County, Vermont, is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties
In Windham County, 2.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Windham County's score
In Windham County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 79.3. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 13.3. Bankruptcy filings ran at 30.5 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Windham 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, Windham County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (27.9%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.3 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 rent20.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.9% · fiscal year 202792nd percentile
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- 32.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.4% · 202434th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.3% · 202429th percentile
- People with a disability15.7% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- People without health insurance3.6% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,080 · 202443rd percentile
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- 20.1 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 20267th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.9% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
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- 18.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.0% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.6% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.6% · second quarter of 202618th percentile
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- 13.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.3% · August 202523rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people30.5 · 20252nd 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 Windham 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 Windham County, 25.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Windham County
Vermont
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Windham County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 25.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Windham County, Vermont, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Windham County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 15.7% in 2015 to 17.6% in 2016.
The share of households in Windham County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 9.9% 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, Windham County, Vermont.
How Windham County has changed
Windham County's population had its largest rise, from 38,676 in 1984 to 41,375 in 1989.
Windham County's population rose 38% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 45,774 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Windham County, Vermont.
The number of jobs located in Windham County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 22,299 in 2015 to 18,865 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Windham County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 23,923 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Windham County, Vermont.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.6% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.8% | 2024 11.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,308 | 2024 $69,080 |
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 Windham County's history
1755
Fort Bridgman burned in 1755 in French and Indian War. Wikipedia
1781
Created February 16, 1781, from Cumberland County. Wikipedia
1996
A flash flood in June 1996 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in August 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 45,905, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A flash flood in July 2021 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Windham County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Windham County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Windham County, in Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Windham County ranks 2nd of the six; Franklin County is highest, at 28.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, MA | 37 | 10.2% | 28.5% |
| Bennington County, VT | 35 | 9.9% | 22.9% |
| Sullivan County, NH | 24 | 8.7% | 21.0% |
| Windham County, VT | 20 | 11.4% | 25.7% |
| Cheshire County, NH | 19 | 8.2% | 20.6% |
| 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 Windham County the poorest county in Vermont?
No, Windham County's poverty rate was 11.4% in 2024, 3rd 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, Windham County ranks 6th of 14 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Windham 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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Windham and Windsor Housing Trust
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 Windham 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 Windham County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.