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.
Bennington County is a county of Vermont with 37,269 residents. Its economy produced $2,383 million in 2024 (ranked #7 of 14 counties) and had 16,750 jobs with an average annual pay of $58,906 (#6 for pay). The unemployment rate was 3.1% in 2026M09. It is part of the Bennington, VT micropolitan area (central county).
Bennington County produced about $2,383 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 5.1% 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 7th of 14 on that measure. Per resident that is $63,928, 11% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $71,512. In current dollars output grew 5.3% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation.
BLS counts 16,750 jobs located in Bennington County on average in 2024, spread over 1,938 employer sites (about 9 jobs per site). That is 0.45 jobs for every resident, above 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 $58,906, 9% below the average of all counties in the state ($58,906 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 0.1% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are health care and social assistance (22.1% of private jobs, $64,271 a year on average), retail trade (18.9% of private jobs, $43,754 a year on average), manufacturing (12.7% of private jobs, $62,916 a year on average). Together they hold 53.7% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is professional and technical services at $144,672 a year, followed by administrative and waste services ($74,384). The county is specialised in several industries: educational services (3.1 times the US share, 1,076 jobs); arts, entertainment, recreation (1.9 times the US share, 520 jobs); retail trade (1.6 times the US share, 2,617 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: accommodation and food services ($31,145). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Bennington County was 3.1%, 21% above the average of the state's counties (3.1% against 2.6%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 17,277. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 2.8% (2026M05) to 3.7% (2026M04); 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 $73,325 (ACS 2020–2024), 10% below the state median ($73,325 against $81,203). The guide covers 2 cities with this as the main county: Bennington, Manchester Center. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate. Within the county, median rent runs from $1,023 in Manchester Center to $1,115 in Bennington, so where you live matters as much as which county you pick.
Counties close to Bennington County in output are Windham County, Franklin County, Addison County, Lamoille County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 14 counties of Vermont ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 37,269 | 8 of 14 |
| GDP 2024 | $2,383 million | 7 of 14 |
| GDP per resident | $63,928 | 5 of 14 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 16,750 | 7 of 14 |
| Average annual pay | $58,906 | 6 of 14 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +0.1% | 9 of 14 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 3.1% | 13 of 14 |
| Median household income | $73,325 | 9 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 Bennington County.
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bennington | 9,245 | $54,257 | $1,115 | $191,700 | 34.5% |
| Manchester Center | 2,037 | $54,808 | $1,023 | $359,800 | 34.2% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 3,062 | 22.1% | $64,271 | 1.28 |
| Retail trade | 2,617 | 18.9% | $43,754 | 1.56 |
| Manufacturing | 1,757 | 12.7% | $62,916 | 1.28 |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,728 | 12.5% | $31,145 | 1.13 |
| Educational services | 1,076 | 7.8% | $49,827 | 3.11 |
| Construction | 632 | 4.6% | $56,992 | 0.72 |
| Professional and technical services | 598 | 4.3% | $144,672 | 0.51 |
| Administrative and waste services | 585 | 4.2% | $74,384 | 0.59 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 520 | 3.8% | $36,090 | 1.85 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 415 | 3.0% | $32,930 | 0.82 |
| Finance and insurance | 281 | 2.0% | $115,327 | 0.41 |
| Wholesale trade | 213 | 1.5% | $109,295 | 0.32 |
| Management of companies | 189 | 1.4% | $119,272 | 0.67 |
| Real estate and rental | 187 | 1.3% | $61,996 | 0.72 |
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 | 17,277 |
| Employed residents | 16,735 |
| Unemployed residents | 542 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.1% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 16,750 |
| Employer sites | 1,938 |
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% |
37,269 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$2,383 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
3.1% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
16,750 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $58,906 (BLS QCEW).