Housing data

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).

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.  Derived from the recent statewide housing needs assessment, these targets indicate that Vermont’s housing supply will meet expected demands if it increases by 28,000-41,000 homes by 2030.

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 50^th 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.

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.

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. Your input will assist the DHCD in developing a new five-year Consolidated Plan for 2025-2029, as required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

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.