VERMONT – State Department of Labor (DoL) data on the Vermont economy for April released May 21, showed the seasonally-adjusted statewide unemployment rate for April was 2.7%, according to household data. This reflects an increase of one-tenth of one percentage point from the prior month’s revised estimate. The civilian labor force participation rate was 65.1 percent in April, a decrease of two-tenths of one percentage point from the prior month’s revised estimate.
The April unemployment rates for Vermont’s 14 counties ranged from 2.1 percent in Chittenden County to 5.1 percent in Orleans County (note: county unemployment rates are not seasonally-adjusted). For comparison, the April unadjusted unemployment rate for Vermont was 2.7 percent, a decrease of one-tenth of one percentage point from the revised unadjusted March level and an increase of four-tenths of one percentage point from a year ago.
In Caledonia County, the unemployment rate was 2.9% for its labor force of 16,157 people.
Orleans County’s unemployment rate at 5.1% reflected 708 people out of work in the labor force of 13,874 people there.
Lamoille County was less than one point above the state unemployment rate, at 3.6% for the labor force of 15,086 there.
Washington County unemployment, at 2.7%, was at the state average for the 32,889 people in its labor force.
Data available for area towns with a population of over 1,000 showed unemployment rates as follows: Cabot 3.0%, Calais 2.5%, Craftsbury 2.4%, Hardwick 2.6%, Marshfield 5.0%, Plainfield 2.5% and Wolcott 6.0%.
The start of 2025 has shown downward pressure on Vermont’s labor force, according to DoL data. The report noted, “This is likely driven by the number of mature workers who are retiring, leaving great career opportunities for job seekers and young Vermonters entering the workforce.”
The Vermont seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate increased to 2.7 percent in April. The comparable United States rate in April was 4.2 percent, no change from the revised March estimate. The seasonally-adjusted Vermont data for April show the Vermont civilian labor force decreased by 796 from the prior month’s revised estimate. The number of employed persons decreased by 868 and the number of unemployed persons increased by 72. No changes were statistically significant in the seasonally-adjusted series.
The full report is available at vtlmi.info/
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
