Instead of being driven by population growth, Vermont’s housing shortage is mostly fueled by shrinking household sizes (fewer people living in each home). Last year, VHFA highlighted the need to increase the pace of home building to 5,000-7,000 Vermont homes each year in the statewide Housing Needs Assessment. Even though estimates of Vermont’s recent population growth were modest at that time, longstanding housing shortages grew more severe. The same conditions are largely in place one year later.
According to recent data published by VHFA on HousingData.org, the median sales price of a primary home in Vermont increased by 7% annually from 2000-2025, reaching $379,000.
This figure, derived from Vermont Property Transfer Tax records, continues a trend of unprecedented increases in home sales prices since 2019. In the 6 years since, the median price of a primary home has increased by 67%. By comparison, it took 17 years (from 2002 to 2019) for home sales prices to increase by this amount.
Recent data can help Vermonters make more impactful decisions about how to meet our state’s most urgent affordable housing needs. Early in 2025, the Vermont Housing Needs Assessment demonstrated a need for 24,000-36,000 additional homes over the next five years to close existing gaps and prepare for future households.
Vermont needs your help identifying new homes built in your community. Earlier this year, VHFA and the State of Vermont published studies quantifying the new homes needed to address immediate and future housing needs.
New research into Vermont’s short-term rental (STR) market conducted by Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) has revealed 16,000 distinct whole-unit listings were available during the year between September 2024-2025. This data represents 43,000 total bedrooms (about 4.6% of the state’s housing stock). During that period, the number of homes available as STRs ranged from 10,000 to 12,000 per month (about 3.5% of the state’s housing stock).
Census Bureau data has become difficult to access through its main website during the recent government shutdown but continues uninterrupted on housingdata.org. Each year VHFA extracts the most recent estimates gathered by the Census Bureau to ensure continued fact-based decisions about the homes and households in each Vermont community.
About 12,000 Vermont homes were available to visitors seeking short-term rentals last month, according to new data on housingdata.org through June 2025. Many of these homes are also counted among the state’s 50,000 vacation homes. Vermont’s vacation homes (those used seasonally or occasionally) have consistently comprised about 15% of the state’s entire housing stock.
VHFA recently completed a comprehensive update of HousingData.org, improving this vital public resource for housing advocacy in Vermont. Since 2003, VHFA’s HousingData.org has been the premier online source for high quality data and research about Vermont’s housing landscape, with all information available for free to the public.
In January the Vermont Department for Housing and Community Development published statewide and regional targets that provide a pivotal opportunity for Vermont communities to address housing shortages.
Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) has released its 2024 Annual Report (PDF) highlighting 50 years of service to the Vermont community. In recognition of VHFA’s 50th anniversary, the report features the Agency's history of creating and sustaining access to affordable housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income Vermonters.
The Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA), the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA), and the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) are announcing the results of a new study they jointly commissioned that examines the potential of off-site home construction. Off-site construction homes are built in factories, shipped, and assembled at the housing site by the manufacturer. Opportunities to Utilize Off-Site Construction to Meet Vermont’s Housing, Workforce and Climate Goals reviewed whether off-site construction could produce homes quickly at a cost competitive with traditional on-site homebuilding.
Compared to all other states, Vermont had the fourth highest rate of homelessness in 2024, according to HUD’s Annual Homelessness Assessment Report. For every 10,000 Vermonters, 53 experienced homelessness, based on the Point-In-Time count completed across the country in January. Hawaii, New York and Oregon had rates higher than Vermont. In 2023, Vermont’s homelessness rate was 51 per 10,000.
The State of Vermont’s Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is inviting the public to complete a survey on community needs to inform its upcoming HUD Consolidated Plan.
Although employer-assisted housing has a long history in the U.S., the recent housing shortage has prompted new interest in this strategy for meeting the housing needs of Vermont workers. VHFA’s recently-released resource guide Employer-Assisted Housing in Vermont reviews demand- and supply-side options and best practices for employers looking to improve housing opportunities.
New Vermont Property Transfer Tax (PTT) data shows recent trends in the home sale market have continued in the first half of 2024. During that time, the median sale price of year-round homes increased an additional 5%, compared to the median price of $325,000 in 2023. At the same time, the median length of days a Vermont home is on the market for sale has remained at a historic low point, suggesting demand to buy homes in Vermont remains high despite increasing sale prices.
Last week the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) announced the publication of the Vermont 2025-2029 Statewide Housing Needs Assessment, a five-year document the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires from government entities that receive federal funding. The findings in the report show Vermont’s statewide housing shortage remains and the affordability gap is growing as costs stretch Vermonters’ budgets thin.
A consortium of Vermont housing and community development partners are assessing the Vermont landscape for off-site construction (including panelized construction), modular, and manufactured home initiatives. As local and state policy makers take steps to meet housing needs, the potential of advanced construction approaches continues to draw significant interest. Advocates point to benefits in terms of cost savings, labor, volume, climate and design and building standardization.
A recording of the NPR show "1A" with Jenn White focused on the challenges of Vermont's housing landscape is now available through Vermont Public. White was joined at a live recording in Essex Junction on May 1, 2024 by VHFA's Executive Director Maura Collins, Carly Berlin, Housing/Infrastructure Reporter for Vermont Public and VTDigger, and Nancy Owens, President at Evernorth.
The median sales price of primary homes sold in Vermont reached $325,000 in 2023, increasing by 5% during that period compared to the prior year, according to recent Vermont Property Transfer Tax (PTT) records. This continues a trend in which no county in Vermont has seen a decline in annual home sale prices since 2019.
Join the Vermont Zoning Atlas team and help uncover keys to big challenges like housing affordability and availability. Paid positions for both graduate and undergraduate students are available.
