August Newsletter: Two-Thirds of Vermonters Under 35 Want to Move Away

Vermonters are already well-aware that our state is one of the highest spenders on education. Anyone who has shopped for real estate or an apartment recently knows how astronomical housing prices are. Families shopping on Vermont’s insurance marketplace have realized that our health care premiums are the most expensive in the world (no joke).

Household incomes have not kept up with these skyrocketing costs. While slightly above the national average, 18 other states generate higher household incomes than Vermont’s economy does.

What does that mean? It means more families living paycheck to paycheck, one unexpected expense away from disaster. It means less disposable income to maintain a quality of life that families desire. It means that young people, on the first few rungs of the economic ladder, are fleeing the state.

Shockingly, 64% of Vermonters under 35 are now planning to leave the state within the next five years. These economic trends have real consequences (as highlighted above) and they are causing our young people to lose faith in the future of Vermont. They no longer see a place for themselves here.

This is particularly alarming because close to 100,000 Vermonters are within ten years of retirement age (55-65), representing a bubble that will leave massive gaps in our workforce. Unable to fill jobs, many businesses or even social services may collapse or move out of state and Vermont will see impacts on our income tax revenues (state government’s primary revenue source).

According to the Vermont Futures Project, we need to add 13,500 workers per year in order to maintain economic stability. Most of those new workers will need to come from that same 35 and under age group that is currently fleeing our state. Today we are adding less than half of that number of workers.

This is THE issue we need to be talking about and seeking solutions for. The top three reasons our young people are fleeing the state are cheaper housing or cost of living (61%), lower taxes (50%), or a different political or social environment (36%). We need to reverse the impacts and find reasons for them to stay. We need to give them hope for a future here in the Green Mountain State.

As we wrote about in February, Vermont is the ONLY state experiencing BOTH migration and natural (more deaths than births) population loss. We shrank at a faster rate than any other state in the country last year.

I want to end with this quote from a recent Op-Ed that nails this issue:

“For decades, Vermont has treated growth as a threat to mitigate. We are living through the consequences of that mindset, and it hits marginalized communities hardest. True equity requires expanding supply rather than fighting over the crumbs of a shrinking economy.”

It’s time to abandon the policies that have perpetuated these problems. Doing the same old things will get us the same old results. Now is the time to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and offer thoughtful and pragmatic solutions.

On behalf of Vermonters,

Pam Mackenzie
President, Campaign for Vermont

Join Our Newsletter

		CCTV Interview CCTV in Burlington interviewed us about our recent leadership changes and mission going forward. It's worth a watch! We are working towards a future where every Vermont family can thrive instead of just survive. Watch

NotchFM Interview Bill Sayre interviewed Ben Kinsley on July 10th about the funding reform changes that are necessary in order to see savings in the education system. Listen

		Protections for Personal Information (Act 138) Act 138 represents a substantial expansion of Vermont's data privacy framework, reflecting national trends toward more granular oversight of data brokers as sensitive categories of information (geolocation, biometric data, reproductive health data, and immigration status) become more commercially valuable and more susceptible to misuse. See Overview & Analysis

Miscellaneous Tax Bill (Act 164) Act 164 is primarily an omnibus tax-administration measure, but its effects extend beyond tax filing. It changes how Vermont administers property transfers, Current Use land, municipal grand lists, income-tax conformity, education-related revenue, and economic-development incentives. See Overview & Analysis

		Homelessness Response Continuum (Act 143) Act 143 is a major redesign of Vermont’s homelessness policy. Its central premise is that the state should not rely indefinitely on hotel and motel rooms as emergency housing. Instead, it seeks to create a continuum in which prevention and diversion are the first response, shelters provide different levels of support, and permanent housing becomes the intended outcome. See Overview & Analysis