Electric Consumer

Editor: Katerine G., Editor & Data Researcher · Research & publishing: Electric Consumer Editorial Team · Data retrieved · Sources named on this page: EIA-861, Census ACS, DOE LEAD, FEMA National Risk Index, OpenFEMA NFIP · How we got these numbers · Report an error

Counties in Vermont ranked

6.3%of income goes to home energy in Essex County, the highest of 14 Vermont counties

Chittenden County is lowest at 2.2%, a gap of 2.8 times. The median Vermont county sits at 4.4%, against 3.3% for the median U.S. county. Source for Vermont: DOE LEAD 2022.

Vermont county map

Vermont counties, shaded by quintile of the selected measureWashington County: 4.2%Essex County: 6.3%Franklin County: 4.0%Addison County: 3.8%Grand Isle County: 3.5%Windsor County: 4.3%Orange County: 4.5%Bennington County: 4.3%Lamoille County: 4.9%Caledonia County: 5.2%Chittenden County: 2.2%Rutland County: 4.8%Orleans County: 5.3%Windham County: 4.5%
  • 2.2% to 4.0%
  • 4.0% to 4.3%
  • 4.3% to 4.5%
  • 4.5% to 5.2%
  • 5.2% to 6.3%

Vermont counties, darker = higher. Click one for its page.

Highest energy burden in Vermont

Essex County leads Vermont on burden at 6.3% of income and Orleans County follows at 5.3%. For lower-income homes the top is Grand Isle County: 16.8% of income, against 14.0% in the median Vermont county.

home energy burden, % of income, top 10 Vermont counties

  • Essex County6.3
  • Orleans County5.3
  • Caledonia County5.2
  • Lamoille County4.9
  • Rutland County4.8
  • Orange County4.5
  • Windham County4.5
  • Windsor County4.3
  • Bennington County4.3
  • Washington County4.2
  • Vermont median county4.4
Vermont counties with the lowest home energy burden
Lowest burden in VermontShare of income (VT)Residents (VT)
Chittenden County2.2%168,831
Grand Isle County3.5%7,393
Addison County3.8%37,497
Franklin County4.0%50,379
Washington County4.2%59,958

Storm reports and FEMA risk in Vermont

NOAA logged 78 damaging-wind, tornado, tropical, ice, winter and heat reports in Essex County from 2015 to 2025, 1,306 for every 100,000 residents: the most in Vermont. FEMA scores Chittenden County highest at 63.9 (relatively low). In Vermont these are weather reports and an index, not outage counts.

Vermont top 5: Storm reports per 100,000 residents
Top 5 in Vermontreports 2015-2025 (VT)Residents (VT)Rank (VT)
Essex County1,3065,9721st
Grand Isle County7857,3932nd
Windham County59245,9133rd
Bennington County53637,3124th
Addison County45137,4975th
Vermont top 5: FEMA risk score
Top 5 in Vermontscore 0-100 (VT)Residents (VT)Rank (VT)
Chittenden County63.9168,8311st
Windsor County61.657,9682nd
Windham County56.945,9133rd
Bennington County52.337,3124th
Washington County52.259,9585th

Flood claims and flood insurance in Vermont

Washington County has the most NFIP flood claims per 1,000 homes in Vermont: 20.7 from 2015 to 2025, against 2.1 in the median Vermont county. Washington County has the highest share of homes with flood insurance (2.3%, median county 0.9%). Claims are a record of insured losses, not outage counts.

Vermont top 5: Flood claims per 1,000 homes
Top 5 in Vermontclaims 2015-2025 (VT)Residents (VT)Rank (VT)
Washington County20.759,9581st
Lamoille County7.226,0362nd
Windsor County6.257,9683rd
Caledonia County4.930,4254th
Rutland County2.560,4845th
Vermont top 5: Flood insurance penetration
Top 5 in Vermont% of homes insured (VT)Residents (VT)Rank (VT)
Washington County2.3%59,9581st
Windsor County1.9%57,9682nd
Grand Isle County1.5%7,3933rd
Bennington County1.5%37,3124th
Windham County1.3%45,9135th

FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP, as of 8 Sep 2026. Flood claims by county.

Outliers: Vermont counties far from the state median

7 county-measure pairs sit 3 or more scaled median-absolute-deviation units from the Vermont median. Most extreme: Washington County, flood claims per 1,000 homes 20.7 against a median of 2.1.

Vermont outliers by deviation from the state median
CountyMeasureValueVermont medianDeviations
Washington CountyFlood claims per 1,000 homes20.72.1+14.7
Chittenden CountyBurden, lower-income homes7.8%14.0%-6.1
Essex CountyStorm reports per 100,000 residents1,306318+5.3
Lamoille CountyFlood claims per 1,000 homes7.22.1+4.1
Chittenden CountyHomes heated by electricity14%6%+3.3
Chittenden CountyHome energy burden2.2%4.4%-3.3
Windsor CountyFlood claims per 1,000 homes6.22.1+3.2

Old homes, electric heat and utilities in Vermont

Rutland County has the oldest stock: 66% of homes date from before 1980. Electric heat is most common in Chittenden County at 14% of homes, and Chittenden County lists 3 utilities, the most in Vermont.

Vermont top 5: Homes built before 1980
Top 5 in Vermont% of homes (VT)Residents (VT)Rank (VT)
Rutland County66%60,4841st
Bennington County64%37,3122nd
Washington County63%59,9583rd
Caledonia County60%30,4254th
Windsor County60%57,9685th
Vermont top 5: Homes heated by electricity
Top 5 in Vermont% of homes (VT)Residents (VT)Rank (VT)
Chittenden County14%168,8311st
Grand Isle County9%7,3932nd
Windsor County8%57,9683rd
Bennington County7%37,3124th
Windham County7%45,9135th

Find your Vermont county

  • Pick a Vermont county to see its ranks.

All 14 Vermont counties, sortable

14 Vermont counties, all measures
Addison County37,4973.8%13.6%45126.855%6%21.10.8%169
Bennington County37,3124.3%14.0%53652.364%7%11.81.5%200
Caledonia County30,4255.2%14.8%29330.260%4%24.90.9%89
Chittenden County168,8312.2%7.8%11863.949%14%31.50.6%199
Essex County5,9726.3%16.6%1,3063.260%1%2no data0.4%78
Franklin County50,3794.0%14.0%27829.252%6%20.60.7%140
Grand Isle County7,3933.5%16.8%7851.946%9%1no data1.5%58
Lamoille County26,0364.9%16.0%35018.346%4%27.21.1%91
Orange County29,5944.5%13.9%32826.455%4%11.80.9%97
Orleans County27,4925.3%15.1%29536.854%3%22.00.3%81
Rutland County60,4844.8%14.0%30850.566%6%12.50.9%186
Washington County59,9584.2%13.1%19752.263%7%120.72.3%118
Windham County45,9134.5%13.9%59256.960%7%12.21.3%272
Windsor County57,9684.3%14.7%17161.660%8%16.21.9%99

Download CSV, 14 rows

Vermont: click a header to sort. Per-capita storm rates start at 5,000 residents.

Sources

Vermont sources with periods and retrieval dates
SourcePeriodRetrieved
DOE LEAD (VT)20222 Oct 2026
FEMA NRI (VT)Dec 20252 Oct 2026
NOAA Storm Events (VT)2015 to 20252 Oct 2026
Census ACS (VT)2019 to 20232 Oct 2026
EIA-861 (VT)20241 Oct 2026

Vermont LEAD figures are group estimates, not bills. Methodology.

Keep going

Other states: Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Alabama.

Questions

Which Vermont county has the highest home energy burden?

Essex County: 6.3% of income, against 4.4% for the median Vermont county (DOE LEAD 2022).

Which Vermont county has the lowest energy burden?

Chittenden County at 2.2% of income.

How does Vermont compare with the whole country?

The median Vermont county has a burden of 4.4% and the median U.S. county 3.3%, across 14 Vermont counties and 3,053 U.S. counties with data.

Where do storms cause the most trouble in Vermont?

Essex County has the most NOAA storm reports per 100,000 residents: 1,306 between 2015 and 2025.

Which Vermont county has the highest FEMA risk score?

Chittenden County: 63.9, rated relatively low by FEMA (Dec 2025).

Where are the oldest homes in Vermont?

Rutland County: 66% of homes were built before 1980; the median Vermont county is at 57% (Census ACS 2023).

Which Vermont county relies most on electric heat?

Chittenden County: 14% of homes heat with electricity, against 6% in the median county.

Which Vermont county has the most flood claims per home?

Washington County: 20.7 NFIP claims per 1,000 homes from 2015 to 2025; the median Vermont county has 2.1 (FEMA OpenFEMA).

Are storm reports the same as power outages in Vermont?

No: in Vermont they are weather reports, not outage counts.

Where can Vermont households get help with bills?

See the Vermont help page. Highest burden: Essex County.

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6.3% of income goes to home energy in Essex County, the highest of 14 Vermont counties