VERMONT— Orleans, Lamoille, Washington and Caledonia rank second, fifth, sixth and seventh among Vermont counties in the number of native Vermonters living there.
The combination of inflation and increased work-from-home opportunities brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic has shifted migration patterns across the United States, the effects of which are still being felt in 2024, according to the latest Census Bureau data.
In the first year of the pandemic, migration out of densely populated, expensive cities like New York and San Francisco was especially notable. Many moved to Sun Belt states where the weather is warmer and the cost of living significantly lower. But by the second year of the pandemic, it became clear that not everyone who was moving wanted to go far. A 2022 analysis of movement out of crowded cities from Stateline showed that many people leaving city centers moved to nearby suburbs in the same state.
According to the latest data from the Census Bureau, released in September 2023, 53.5% of people who moved in 2022 did so within the same county and an additional 24.3% remained in state, meaning more than three-quarters of movers stuck close to home. Many young people in particular are remaining in the state, town or even house that they grew up in.
Before the pandemic, the number of younger adults living with their parents was on the rise and those patterns have continued. A late 2023 survey released by Lending Tree found that 57% of millennials and Gen Zers live in their hometowns.
Many people choose not to leave the state they were raised in for reasons ranging from wanting to be close to family, to not having the resources to leave, to sticking with a lower cost of living.
In order to determine where people stay put in Vermont, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the most born-and-bred residents using data from the Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by the highest percentage of residents who were born in the state according to the latest data, which is 2022 five-year estimates.
The percentage of residents who were born in another state, a U.S. territory and another country is included for Caledonia, Orleans, Washington and Lamoille counties in the Gazette’s coverage area.
No. 14. In Windsor County, 30.6% of the population are born in Vermont..
No. 13. In Essex County, 36.7% of the population are born in Vermont.
No. 12. In Windham County, 38.0% of the population are born in Vermont.
No. 11. In Orange County, 40.6% of the population are born in Vermont.
No. 10. In Bennington County, 40.9% of the population are born in Vermont.
No. 9. In Chittenden County, 43.4% of the population are born in Vermont.
No. 8. In Addison County, 50.1% of the population are born in Vermont.
No. 7. In Caledonia County, 51.6% of the population (15,710 people) are born in Vermont, 45.0% of the population (13,674 people) are born in a different state, 0.8% of the population (237 people) are born in U.S. territories and 2.6% of the population (797 people) are born in another country.
No. 6. In Washington County, 53.5% of the population (31,991) are born in Vermont, 42.6% of the population (25,486) are born in a different state, 1.0% of the population (457) are born in U.S. territories and 2.9% of the population (1,717) are born in another country.
No. 5. In Lamoille County, 53.6% of the population (13,916) are born in Vermont, 41.5% of the population (10,775) are born in a different state, 0.9% of population (246) are born in U.S. territories and 4.0% of the population (1,040) are born in another country.
No. 4. In Grand Isle County 57.5% of the population are born in Vermont..
No. 3. In Rutland County 59.0% of the population are born in Vermont.
A sliver of Caspian Lake shows in this scene from Barr Hill in the Orleans County town of Greensboro.
No. 2. In Orleans County, 66.1% of the population (27,459) are born in Vermont, 29.6% of the population (8,140) are born in a different state, 1.0% of the population (276) are born in U.S. territories and 3.3% of the population (895) are born in another country.
No. 1. In Franklin County 69.8% of the population are born in Vermont.
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 49 states. The original story appears at: https://stacker.com/vermont/counties–most–born–and–bred–residents–vermont
It has been reformatted by The Hardwick Gazette and re-published pursuant to a CC BY-NC 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by–nc/4.0/?ref=chooser–v1)
