View source for List of counties in Vermont

{{Short description|None}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox subdivision type
| name               = Counties of Vermont
| alt_name           =  
| map                = {{Image label begin|image=Vermont Locator Map.PNG|width=300|float=none}}
{{Image label|x=65|y=32|scale=300/300|text=[[Franklin County, Vermont|Franklin]]}}
{{Image label|x=25|y=72|scale=300/300|text=[[Grand Isle County, Vermont|GI]]}}
{{Image label|x=155|y=40|scale=300/300|text=[[Orleans County, Vermont|Orleans]]}}
{{Image label|x=106|y=95|scale=300/300|text=[[Lamoille County, Vermont|Lamoille]]}}
{{Image label|x=180|y=112|scale=300/300|text=[[Caledonia County, Vermont|Caledonia]]}}
{{Image label|x=237|y=44|scale=300/300|text=[[Essex County, Vermont|Essex]]}}
{{Image label|x=103|y=154|scale=300/300|text=[[Washington County, Vermont|Washington]]}}
{{Image label|x=40|y=120|scale=300/300|text=[[Chittenden County, Vermont|Chittenden]]}}
{{Image label|x=25|y=210|scale=300/300|text=[[Addison County, Vermont|Addison]]}}
{{Image label|x=135|y=210|scale=300/300|text=[[Orange County, Vermont|Orange]]}}
{{Image label|x=48|y=300|scale=300/300|text=[[Rutland County, Vermont|Rutland]]}}
{{Image label|x=112|y=305|scale=300/300|text=[[Windsor County, Vermont|Windsor]]}}
{{Image label|x=36|y=379|scale=300/300|text=[[Bennington County, Vermont|Bennington]]}}
{{Image label|x=89|y=413|scale=300/300|text=[[Windham County, Vermont|Windham]]}}
{{Image label end}}
| category           = 
| territory          = [[Vermont|State of Vermont]]
| start_date         =
| current_number     = 14
| number_date        =
| population_range   =  6,037 ([[Essex County, Vermont|Essex]]) – 170,851 ([[Chittenden County, Vermont|Chittenden]])
| area_range         =  {{Convert|83|sqmi}} ([[Grand Isle County|Grand Isle]]) – {{Convert|971|sqmi}} ([[Windsor County|Windsor]])
| government         = [[County government]]
| subdivision        = Cities, towns, villages, unincorporated communities
}}

There are fourteen [[County (United States)|counties]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Vermont]]. These counties together contain 255 political units, or places, including 237 [[town]]s, 10 [[cities]], 5 [[unincorporated area]]s, and 4 [[Gore (surveying)|gores]]. Each county has a [[county seat]], often referred to as a "shire town."

In 1779, Vermont had two counties. The western side of the state was Bennington County and the eastern was [[Cumberland County, Republic of Vermont|Cumberland County]].<ref name="traits">{{cite web |url=http://genealogytrails.com/ver/county_info.html |title=Vermont County Information  |access-date=July 22, 2007 |work=Genealogy Trails}}</ref> In 1781, three new counties (including then-called Washington that became part of New Hampshire) were created out of Cumberland County, and the remainder of the county was renamed Windham.
Today's Washington County was created in 1810 as [[Jefferson County, Vermont|Jefferson County]]; it was renamed Washington in 1814.

Essex County, Orleans County, and Caledonia County are commonly referred to as the ''[[Northeast Kingdom]]''.

The FIPS county code is the five-digit Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code which uniquely identifies counties and county equivalents in the United States. The three-digit number is unique to each individual county within a state, but to be unique within the entire United States, it must be prefixed by the state code. This means that, for example, while [[Addison County, Vermont|Addison County]], [[Vermont]] is 001, [[Belknap County, New Hampshire|Belknap County]], [[New Hampshire]] and [[Alachua County, Florida|Alachua County]], [[Florida]] are also 001. To uniquely identify Addison County, Vermont, one must use the state code of 50 plus the county code of 001; therefore, the unique nationwide identifier for Addison County, Vermont is 50001. The links in the column [[FIPS County Code]] are to the Census Bureau Info page for that county.<ref name="epa">{{cite web|url= http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/codes/vt.html|title= EPA County FIPS Code Listing|publisher= EPA|access-date= July 22, 2007|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090817052642/http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/codes/vt.html|archive-date= August 17, 2009}}</ref>

==List==
{{Countytabletop
|region_width      =
|fips_ref          = <ref name="epa"/>
|region_seat_title = [[County seat|Shire town]]
|region_seat_width =
|region_seat_ref   = <ref name="NACO">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/?Section=Find_a_County&Template=%2Fcffiles%2Fcounties%2Fstate.cfm&state_cfm=&statecode=VT |title=NACo - Find a county|publisher=National Association of Counties|access-date=February 24, 2012}}</ref>
|data2_title       = {{abbr|Est.|Established}}
|data2_width       =
|data2_ref         = <ref name="NACO"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Vermont_County_Creation_Dates_and_Parent_Counties |title=Vermont County Creation Dates and Parent Counties |access-date=June 8, 2023 |website=www.familysearch.org}}</ref>
|data3_title       = Origin
|data3_width       = 
|data3_ref         = <ref name="Orig">{{cite book |author1=Kane, Joseph  |author2=Aiken, Charles  |name-list-style=amp| title =The American Counties: Origins of County Names, Dates of Creation, and Population Data, 1950-2000 | publisher =Scarecrow Press | year =2004 | url = https://archive.org/details/americancounties0000kane |url-access=registration  |page=[https://archive.org/details/americancounties0000kane/page/1 1]  |quote=Origins of County Names.  | isbn =0-8108-5036-2|access-date=September 11, 2016 }}</ref>
|data3_off         = 
|data4_title       = Etymology
|data4_width       =
|data4_ref         = <ref name="Orig" />
|data4_unsortable  = yes
|population_ref    = <ref name="Census">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/VT/PST045219|title=Vermont QuickFacts|work=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=March 14, 2025}} (2024 Census estimate) </ref>
|area_ref          = <ref name="NACO"/><ref name="cen">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/50|title=Vermont QuickFacts|work=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=September 11, 2016}} (2010 Census)</ref>
}}
{{Countyrow|N=50|Num=001|Name=Addison |Seat=Middlebury |Data2={{dts|1785|10|18|abbr=on}} |Data3=Part of Rutland County. |Data4= [[Joseph Addison]] <small>(1672&ndash;1719)</small>, an English politician and writer. |Population= 38047 |Area= 770 |Size= 80px }}
{{Countyrow|N=50|Num=003|Name=Bennington |Noseat=[[Bennington, VT|Bennington]], <br/>[[Manchester, VT|Manchester]] |Data2={{dts|1779|2|11|abbr=on}} |Data3=One of the original two counties. |Data4=[[Benning Wentworth]] <small>(1696&ndash;1770)</small>, the colonial governor of [[New Hampshire]] <small>(1741&ndash;1766)</small>. |Population= 37039 |Area= 676 |Size=80px}}
{{Countyrow|N=50|Num=005|Name=Caledonia |Seat=St. Johnsbury |Data2={{dts|1792|11|5|abbr=on}} |Data3=Part of Orange County.  |Data4=Latin name for [[Scotland]]. |Population= 30535 |Area=651 |Size=80px}}
{{Countyrow|N=50|Num=007|Name=Chittenden |Seat=Burlington |Data2={{dts|1787|10|22|abbr=on}} |Data3=Part of Addison County.  |Data4=[[Thomas Chittenden]] <small>(1730&ndash;1797)</small>, first governor of Vermont <small>(1791&ndash;1797)</small>. |Population= 170851 |Area=539 |Size=80px}}
{{Countyrow|N=50|Num=009|Name=Essex |Seat=Guildhall |Data2={{dts|1792|11|5|abbr=on}} |Data3=Part of Orange County. |Data4=[[Essex]], a county in England. |Population= 6037 |Area=665 |Size=80px}}
{{Countyrow|N=50|Num=011|Name=Franklin |Noseat=[[St. Albans (city), Vermont|St. Albans (city)]] |Data2={{dts|1792|11|5|abbr=on}} |Data3=Part of Chittenden County. |Data4=[[Benjamin Franklin]] <small>(1706&ndash;1790)</small>, one of the most revered [[Founding Fathers of the United States]]. |Population= 51066 |Area=637 |Size=80px}}
{{Countyrow|N=50|Num=013|Name=Grand Isle |Seat=North Hero |Data2={{dts|1802|11|9|abbr=on}} |Data3=Part of Chittenden County and Franklin County. |Data4=Largest island in [[Lake Champlain]]. |Population= 7528 |Area=83 |Size=80px}}
{{Countyrow|N=50|Num=015|Name=Lamoille |Noseat=[[Hyde Park (town), Vermont|Hyde Park (town)]] |Data2={{dts|1835|10|26|abbr=on}} |Data3=Parts of Chittenden County, Franklin County, Orleans County and Washington County. |Data4=''La Mouette'' (meaning ''the seagull''), named by French explorer [[Samuel de Champlain]] <small>(~1570&ndash;1635)</small> but mistranscibed as La Mouelle and eventually corrupted to current spelling. |Population= 26248 |Area=461 |Size=80px}}
{{Countyrow|N=50|Num=017|Name=Orange |Seat=Chelsea |Data2={{dts|1781|2|22|abbr=on}} |Data3=Part of Cumberland County. |Data4=Prince [[William III of England|William]] <small>(1650&ndash;1702)</small> of [[Principality of Orange|Orange]]. |Population= 30050 |Area=689 |Size=80px}}
{{Countyrow|N=50|Num=019|Name=Orleans |Seat=Newport (city) |Data2={{dts|1792|11|5|abbr=on}} |Data3=Part of Chittenden County and Orange County. |Data4=City of [[Orléans]], France. |Population= 27726 |Area=697 |Size=80px}}
{{Countyrow|N=50|Num=021|Name=Rutland |Seat=Rutland (city) |Data2={{dts|1781|2|22|abbr=on}} |Data3=Part of Bennington County. |Data4=Town of [[Rutland, Massachusetts]]. |Population= 60198 |Area=932 |Size=80px}}
{{Countyrow|N=50|Num=023|Name=Washington |Seat=Montpelier |Data2={{dts|1810|11|1|abbr=on}} |Data3=Parts of Orange County, Caledonia County, and Chittenden County. Renamed from Jefferson County to Washington County on November 8, 1814|Data4=[[George Washington]] <small>(1732&ndash;1799)</small>, first [[President of the United States]] <small>(1789&ndash;1797)</small>.  |Population= 59844 |Area=690 |Size=80px}}
{{Countyrow|N=50|Num=025|Name=Windham |Seat=Newfane |Data2={{dts|1779|2|22|abbr=on}}{{ref label|Note1|a|a}}<br>(as Cumberland County)<br>(renamed 1781) |Data3=One of the original two counties. |Data4=Town of [[Windham, Connecticut]]. |Population= 45627 |Area=789 |Size=80px}}
{{Countyrow|N=50|Num=027|Name=Windsor |Seat=Woodstock |Data2={{dts|1781|2|22|abbr=on}} |Data3=Part of Cumberland County. |Data4=Town of [[Windsor, Connecticut]]. |Population= 57697 |Area=971 |Size=80px}}
|}

==See also==
*[[List of cities in Vermont]]
*[[List of gores in Vermont]]
*[[List of towns in Vermont]]
*[[List of former United States counties]]

==Notes==
* {{note label|Note1|a|a}} There are several sources that state the formation year for Windham County is 1781 and that Cumberland County was dissolved rather than renamed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://historical-county.newberry.org/website/Vermont/documents/VT_Consolidated_Chronology.htm|title=Vermont: Consolidated Chronology of State and County Boundaries|year=2008|publisher=The Newberry Library|access-date=June 3, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224082655/http://historical-county.newberry.org/website/Vermont/documents/VT_Consolidated_Chronology.htm|archive-date=February 24, 2012}}</ref>

== Further reading==
* {{cite web |last1=writer |first1=Statf |author-link1= |collaboration= |df= |year=2022 |location= |title=VERMONT COUNTY GOVERNMENT OVERVIEW |url=https://ce.naco.org//app/profiles/CountyGov/CountyGov_50000.pdf |url-access= |format= |department= |website=ce.naco.org |type= |language= |edition= |agency=National Association of Counties (NACo) |arxiv= |asin= |asin-tld= |bibcode= |bibcode-access= |biorxiv= |citeseerx= |doi= |doi-access= |doi-broken-date= |eissn= |hdl= |hdl-access= |isbn= |ismn= |issn= |jfm= |jstor= |jstor-access= |lccn= |medrxiv= |mr= |oclc= |ol= |ol-access= |osti= |osti-access= |pmc= |pmc-embargo-date= |pmid= |rfc= |sbn= |ssrn= |s2cid= |s2cid-access= |zbl= |id= |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-format= |archive-date= |access-date=January 3, 2025 |quote-page= |quote-pages= |quote= |ref= }}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{U.S. Counties}}
{{Vermont}}

{{Featured list}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Counties In Vermont}}
[[Category:Vermont counties|*]]
[[Category:Lists of counties of the United States by state|Vermont, counties in]]
[[Category:Vermont geography-related lists|Counties]]