Northeast region · state data

Vermont unemployment rate and jobs

Vermont's unemployment rate was 2.6% in Sep 2026, 1.6 percentage points below the U.S. rate of 4.2%. The rate was unchanged from a year earlier.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics and Current Employment Statistics) via FRED®. Monthly data, seasonally adjusted. Latest observation Sep 2026; snapshot taken Oct 27, 2026, 2:15 AM EDT.

Unemployment rate (Sep 2026)

2.6%

U.S. rate, same month

4.2%

Difference from U.S.

-1.6 pt

A year earlier

2.6%

Rank (1 = lowest rate)

3rd of 51

Nonfarm jobs (Sep 2026)

311,000

Job growth, 12 months

-0.1%

Record low rate

1.8% (Jun 2023)

Unemployment rate: Vermont vs. the U.S.

2.6% Sep 2026 · Percent

1%2%3%4%5%20222023202420252026

Vermont unemployment rate U.S. unemployment rate

Percent of the labor force, seasonally adjusted. Vermont data from Jan 1976 to Sep 2026; the dashed line is the national rate (UNRATE).

How Vermont compares

In Sep 2026, Vermont had the 3rd lowest rate of the 51 states and DC (tied with New Hampshire). Across the 9 states in the Northeast region, the simple average was 3.7%, so Vermont was 1.1 points below it.

Since the state series began in 1976, Vermont's rate has ranged from a low of 1.8% in Jun 2023 to a high of 14.1% in Apr 2020. Just before the pandemic, in February 2020, it was 2.2%, 0.4 points lower than now. Over the last 12 months the rate averaged 2.6% and was above the national rate in 0 of them.

Jobs in Vermont

Employers in Vermont reported 311,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in Sep 2026, seasonally adjusted. That is 200 fewer than a year earlier (-0.1%), compared with +0.3% for the nation as a whole. Its 12-month job growth rate ranked 44th of 51. The record high was 318,800 in Mar 2019. Compared with February 2020, payrolls are down 1.5%.

311.0K Sep 2026 · Thousands of persons

295K300K305K310K315K20222023202420252026

Total nonfarm payroll jobs, thousands, seasonally adjusted, from the BLS survey of employers. Data from Jan 1990.

Last 12 months in Vermont
MonthUnemployment rateU.S. rateNonfarm jobsMonthly job change
Sep 20262.6%4.2%311,000+200
Aug 20262.6%4.1%310,800-200
Jul 20262.6%4.1%311,000+400
Jun 20262.6%4.2%310,600+300
May 20262.6%4.3%310,300-500
Apr 20262.6%4.3%310,800-400
Mar 20262.6%4.3%311,200-300
Feb 20262.6%4.4%311,500-300
Jan 20262.7%4.3%311,800+300
Dec 20252.7%4.4%311,500+600
Nov 20252.7%4.5%310,900-300
Sep 20252.6%4.4%311,200-500

Record high unemployment rate: 14.1% (Apr 2020). Monthly figures are revised each year when BLS benchmarks the state data.

States with similar unemployment rates

North Dakota · 2.2%New Hampshire · 2.6%Hawaii · 2.8%Nebraska · 2.9%

Other Northeast states

ConnecticutMaineMassachusettsNew HampshireNew JerseyNew YorkPennsylvaniaRhode Island All 50 states and DC U.S. unemployment rate

This page shows public labor market data for general information. It is not financial or career advice and does not predict future values.

Sources

FRED® is a registered trademark of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Neither the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis nor the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics endorses OpenEcon.