Vermont

• Income near the national median: Median household income tracks the national median, indicating a broad-based consumer market.
• Talent advantage: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment exceeds the national average by 8.1 pts, supports knowledge-economy positioning.
• Aging population: Median age of 43 is materially above the U.S. norm; succession planning and senior-services demand are real factors.

• Largest private-sector industry: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 52,353 workers (31.5% of the tracked sectors), at an average wage of $66,881. Every industry figure on this page is private sector; government employs a further 53,513 and is counted separately.
• Economic scale: State GDP of $46.3B (2024).
• Wage stratification: Management of Companies and Enterprises averages $142,520 while Retail Trade averages $43,333, a 3.3x spread in the same economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.

• Top specialization: Animal Production and Aquaculture concentrates at 3.51x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy.
• Cluster depth: 12 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base across the state.
• Attraction whitespace: 6 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment.

• In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.9x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
• High home ownership: 73.2% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
• Elevated vacancy: 19.4% vacancy rate; potential redevelopment opportunity.
• Rent affordability gap: None of the 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom sizes sit below what a household on the median renter income of $49,234 can pay without cost burden (~$1,231/mo), and 45.2% of renter households are already cost-burdened, 22.6% severely so.

• Succession risk is real: 24% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
• Healthy participation: 66.5% of the population aged 18+ is in the labor force, reflecting a steady, available workforce statewide.

Vermont shows meaningful potential for animal production and aquaculture attraction, with a 3.51x concentration and 1,815 jobs in this sub-sector. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 24% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.

Cluster depth across animal production and aquaculture, apparel manufacturing, and gasoline stations and fuel dealers creates supply-chain attraction leverage, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.