The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
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By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Addison County is a county of Vermont with 37,664 residents. Its economy produced $2,305 million in 2024 (ranked #8 of 14 counties) and had 15,525 jobs with an average annual pay of $60,042 (#5 for pay). The unemployment rate was 2.3% in 2026M09.
Addison County produced about $2,305 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 5.0% of the combined output of the 14 counties of Vermont that BEA reports (about 5.8% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 8th of 14 on that measure. Per resident that is $61,211, 14% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $71,512. In current dollars output grew 7.3% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation.
BLS counts 15,525 jobs located in Addison County on average in 2024, spread over 1,811 employer sites (about 9 jobs per site). That is 0.41 jobs for every resident, close to the 0.41 of the typical county in Vermont, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $60,042, 7% below the average of all counties in the state ($60,042 against $64,611). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 0.9% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are manufacturing (20.7% of private jobs, $79,869 a year on average), retail trade (18.7% of private jobs, $40,565 a year on average), accommodation and food services (13.0% of private jobs, $30,680 a year on average). Together they hold 52.4% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is professional and technical services at $113,770 a year, followed by finance and insurance ($82,099). The county is specialised in several industries: agriculture, forestry, fishing (5.5 times the US share, 691 jobs); manufacturing (1.4 times the US share, 1,817 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: retail trade ($40,565), accommodation and food services ($30,680). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Addison County was 2.3%, 10% below the average of the state's counties (2.3% against 2.6%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 20,527. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 2.1% (2026M05) to 3.0% (2026M01); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $89,639 (ACS 2020–2024), 10% above the state median ($89,639 against $81,203). The guide covers 3 cities with this as the main county: Middlebury, Vergennes, Bristol. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate. Within the county, median rent runs from $1,000 in Vergennes to $1,288 in Bristol, so where you live matters as much as which county you pick.
Counties close to Addison County in output are Franklin County, Bennington County, Lamoille County, Caledonia County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 14 counties of Vermont ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 37,664 | 7 of 14 |
| GDP 2024 | $2,305 million | 8 of 14 |
| GDP per resident | $61,211 | 8 of 14 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 15,525 | 8 of 14 |
| Average annual pay | $60,042 | 5 of 14 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +0.9% | 5 of 14 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 2.3% | 2 of 14 |
| Median household income | $89,639 | 3 of 14 |
Federal jobs in Vermont (113) →All cities of VermontState guide: Vermont
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
Cities of this guide whose main county is Addison County.
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middlebury | 7,220 | $86,250 | $1,201 | $417,400 | 61.9% |
| Vergennes | 2,565 | $76,587 | $1,000 | $310,000 | 42.1% |
| Bristol | 2,142 | $73,064 | $1,288 | $301,800 | 41.5% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1,817 | 20.7% | $79,869 | 1.42 |
| Retail trade | 1,646 | 18.7% | $40,565 | 1.06 |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,146 | 13.0% | $30,680 | 0.81 |
| Construction | 1,037 | 11.8% | $65,146 | 1.27 |
| Professional and technical services | 736 | 8.4% | $113,770 | 0.68 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 691 | 7.9% | $48,906 | 5.50 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 424 | 4.8% | $49,133 | 0.91 |
| Administrative and waste services | 379 | 4.3% | $59,185 | 0.41 |
| Finance and insurance | 378 | 4.3% | $82,099 | 0.60 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 290 | 3.3% | $55,013 | 0.44 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 125 | 1.4% | $28,154 | 0.48 |
| Real estate and rental | 92 | 1.0% | $51,727 | 0.38 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 22 | 0.3% | $84,686 | 0.37 |
| Management of companies | 15 | 0.2% | $238,682 | 0.06 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 20,527 |
| Employed residents | 20,048 |
| Unemployed residents | 479 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.3% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 15,525 |
| Employer sites | 1,811 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chittenden County | 169,758 | $16,404 million | $96,629 | 103,301 | $73,186 | 2.2% |
| Rutland County | 60,425 | $3,787 million | $62,674 | 25,313 | $58,753 | 2.9% |
| Washington County | 60,017 | $5,191 million | $86,495 | 33,484 | $67,784 | 2.5% |
| Windsor County | 57,990 | $3,759 million | $64,826 | 23,153 | $62,855 | 2.6% |
| Franklin County | 50,638 | $2,856 million | $56,405 | 17,250 | $62,487 | 2.8% |
| Windham County | 45,923 | $3,098 million | $67,455 | 20,831 | $56,758 | 2.8% |
| Addison County | 37,664 | $2,305 million | $61,211 | 15,525 | $60,042 | 2.3% |
| Bennington County | 37,269 | $2,383 million | $63,928 | 16,750 | $58,906 | 3.1% |
| Caledonia County | 30,475 | $1,641 million | $53,841 | 11,117 | $55,371 | 2.3% |
| Orange County | 29,761 | $1,188 million | $39,919 | 7,898 | $55,315 | 2.4% |
| Orleans County | 27,606 | $1,563 million | $56,605 | 10,532 | $51,363 | 3.3% |
| Lamoille County | 26,148 | $1,654 million | $63,247 | 12,436 | $57,777 | 2.6% |
| Grand Isle County | 7,450 | $265 million | $35,565 | 1,383 | $50,181 | 2.9% |
| Essex County | 5,982 | $183 million | $30,572 | 1,069 | $49,646 | 3.0% |
37,664 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$2,305 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
2.3% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
15,525 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $60,042 (BLS QCEW).