Updated: February, 2023

Author: Planning Unit, Vermont Department of Health

Over the past ten years the percentage of Vermont households spending more than 30% of their incomes on housing has decreased slightly, from 38% to 31%. This is similar to the US average of 32%. You can find more housing data on the U.S. Census American Community Survey site.

A high percentage of Vermont households spend more than what they can reasonable afford for housing and still have enough income for other essentials for financially stable and healthy lives. Households that pay more pay more than 30% of their income on housing are considered “cost burdened.”

Among renting households in Vermont, 50% pay more than 30% of their income on housing compared to 24% of those who own homes.

Households that spend more than 50% of their income on housing are considered “severely cost burdened”. In 2019 in Vermont, 11% of households that own homes and 25% of households that rent were severely cost-burdened. You can find this and similar data on the Vermont HousingData.org website.

Housing and financial stability are intrinsically linked to physical and mental health and wellbeing. Cost burdened households are those paying more than 30% of their incomes towards housing costs and severely cost burdened households pay more than 50% of their incomes for housing costs.  Cost burden leads to housing instability and limits a household’s ability to access healthy food, services and medical care. 

Severe cost burden can also lead to substandard, unsafe and unhealthy housing conditions. Housing instability, including frequent moves, living in doubled-up housing, eviction, foreclosure, and homelessness are linked to difficulty in maintaining adherence to medication, elevated stress levels, depression, and hopelessness. Access to safe, decent and affordable housing can counter this. Affordable housing can also serve as a platform for providing supportive services to improve the health of vulnerable populations, including the elderly, people with disabilities, and homeless individuals and families.

• Agency of Commerce and Community Development
• Vermont Housing & Conservation Board
• Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity

• Utility cost-saving programs and winterization programs
• Programs that create new affordable Housing policies that require the inclusion of affordable housing
• Housing-first policies and programs
• Green building strategies
• Living wage policies

The Health Department is working with partners to address housing and housing affordability. In the future, additional connections will be made through the Health in All Policies Task Force, a cabinet-level body established by Executive Order No. 7-15 to identify programs, policies and strategies to improve the health of Vermonters. This task force has a focus on vulnerable populations and to coordinate across agencies around issues of healthy communities. The Task Force has identified equity, affordability and access as its core values and specifically looks at “affordable, safe, quality housing” as a determinant of health and equity. 

In addition, beginning in 2021 the department leveraged CDC Health Disparities grant funding to hire staff for our Office of Health Equity Integration. Within that office is a staff person specifically engaging with organizations that support people experiencing homelessness.

Data comes from the ACS 1-year estimates, except for 2020. Due to COVID impacts, only 5-year estimates are available for 2020.

Data includes the percent of those who rent their homes, and those who own their homes with or without mortgages.

U.S. Census American Community Survey (ACS)