Last updated: August 2022
Author: Planning Unit, Vermont Department of Health

Poverty is a significant contributor to health status so it is important that the Health Department monitors poverty rates. In America, the greater your income, the lower your likelihood of disease and premature death. [1]

Poverty rates spiked during the Great Recession to 13%, but have generally fluctuated from 10% to 12% in the last decade. This data looks at the average poverty level across the state and so does not tell the entire story; we know that the percentage of people living below the poverty level varies among towns and counties, from 6% in Grand Isle County to 14% in Essex County. Poverty rates also vary between racial groups, with rates lowest among white, non-Hispanic Vermonters. [2]

[1] Income and Health Initiative: Brief One

[2] Vermont Counties Poverty Status - ACS 5-year estimates - US Census Bureau

Strong research supports the link between poverty and poor health. Poverty can have many implications for individuals and communities. It can influence people’s ability to afford necessities like food, shelter, and health insurance. Poverty most often impacts women, children, individuals with lower educational attainment, people who live in rural areas, and members of marginalized races.[1] Poverty can have effects on children’s ability to learn and grow physically, emotionally, and mentally and poverty is linked with many adverse health outcomes in Vermont.

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A vast number of partners throughout the state are engaged in work to reduce the percentage of Vermonters living below the federal poverty level. Many medical and healthcare organizations provide essential health services to increase access to care and improve quality of care for low-income Vermonters. While not directly reducing poverty rates, access to affordable, quality healthcare, including preventive care, can reduce long-term healthcare costs as well as reducing missed work or school due to illness,

In addition, this work could not take place without partnerships within the Agency of Human Services, the Agency of Commerce and Community Development, and many other agencies within the State of Vermont, or without the leadership and participation of many other community-based organizations throughout the state.

It takes a multifaceted and multidisciplinary approach to reduce poverty rates with interventions both within the healthcare system (such as increasing health insurance coverage and access to affordable, quality healthcare) as well as outside it. Research suggests that within the healthcare system an important challenge is to motivate providers to address the problems created by health disparities and the role of poverty on health within their own practices. Some evidence suggests that although most healthcare providers are aware of disparities, they do not perceive that they exist in their own practices. Educating providers about the effects of differential opportunities for health and their ability to address it is an important first step. Incentivization for providers to provide preventive care and address therapeutic needs is an important way to support this. [1]

Outside the healthcare systems promising interventions exist to support reducing poverty and promoting health equity. The National Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends the following types of intervention to reduce health disparities and decrease poverty:

• Center-based early childhood education
• Tenant-based rental assistance programs
• Out-of-school-time academic programs (general, math-focused, and reading-focused)
• High school completion programs
• Full-day kindergarten programs

Other promising interventions that need more evaluation include mixed-income housing developments and culturally competent healthcare. [2]

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The Health Department works with its partners in public health, health care, and other sectors to directly and indirectly reduce the percentage of Vermonters living in poverty. Many of our programs support economic wellbeing, either directly or indirectly. For instance:

• The rural health program supports health clinics in rural areas so that people living in those areas don’t have to travel as far to see a provider. By not having to travel as far, people are more likely to pursue preventive care, which is less costly than acute care.
• The Division of Maternal and Child Health promotes teen pregnancy prevention using best practices to reduce unplanned teen pregnancy, something that is often associated with lower economic status.
• The Tobacco Program promotes tobacco cessation among low-income Vermonters. Tobacco use can lead to costly health problems that can lead to reduced earning potential.

In addition, the Health in All Policies Task Force, established by Executive Order No. 7-15, is mandated to identify programs, policies and strategies to improve the health of Vermonters, especially 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. Members of the Health in All Policies Task Force are working to identify collaborative approaches to address the factors which create and reinforce poverty that include the best practices listed above.

For 2020 data, due to the impact of COVID-19, the American Community Survey (ACS) release schedule was changed. [1] The 2020 data point is based on the current Census Bureau experimental estimate from 1-year data which is found in a different set of tables and not on data.census.gov. [2] 

[1] 2020 ACS 1-Year Experimental Data Release

[2] 2020 Tables: ACS 1-Year Experimental Data