Vermont (/vərˈmɒnt/ ⓘ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. According to the most recent U.S. Census estimates, the state has an estimated population of 648,493, making it the second-least populated of all U.S. states. It is the nation's sixth-smallest state by total area. The state's capital of Montpelier is the least populous U.S. state capital. No other U.S. state has a most populous city with fewer residents than Burlington.
Vermont | |
|---|---|
| Nickname: The Green Mountain State | |
| Motto(s): Freedom and Unity and Stella quarta decima fulgeat (May the fourteenth star shine bright) | |
| Anthem: These Green Mountains | |
.svg) Location of Vermont within the United States | |
| Country | United States |
| Before statehood | Vermont Republic |
| Admitted to the Union | March 4, 1791 (14th) |
| Capital | Montpelier |
| Largest city | Burlington |
| Largest county or equivalent | Chittenden |
| Largest metro and urban areas | Burlington |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Phil Scott (R) |
| • Lieutenant Governor | John S. Rodgers (R) |
| Legislature | General Assembly |
| • Upper house | Senate |
| • Lower house | House of Representatives |
| Judiciary | Vermont Supreme Court |
| U.S. senators | Bernie Sanders (I) Peter Welch (D) |
| U.S. House delegation | Becca Balint (D) (list) |
| Area | |
• Total | 9,623 sq mi (24,923 km2) |
| • Land | 9,217 sq mi (23,871 km2) |
| • Water | 400 sq mi (1,035 km2) 4.2% |
| • Rank | 45th |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 160 mi (260 km) |
| • Width | 80 mi (130 km) |
| Elevation | 1,000 ft (300 m) |
| Highest elevation | 4,395 ft (1,340 m) |
| Lowest elevation | 95 ft (29 m) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total |  648,493 |
| • Rank | 49th |
| • Density | 70/sq mi (27/km2) |
| • Rank | 31st |
| • Median household income | $81,200 (2023) |
| • Income rank | 17th |
| Demonym | Vermonter |
| Language | |
| • Official language | None |
| • Spoken language | |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| USPS abbreviation | VT |
| ISO 3166 code | US-VT |
| Traditional abbreviation | Vt. |
| Latitude | 42°44′ N to 45°1′ N |
| Longitude | 71°28′ W to 73°26′ W |
| Website | vermont |
| List of state symbols | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Living insignia | |
| Amphibian | Northern leopard frog Rana pipiens |
| Bird | Hermit thrush Catharus guttatus |
| Fish | Brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis Walleye Sander vitreous vitreous |
| Flower | Red clover Trifolium pratense |
| Insect | Western honey bee Apis mellifera |
| Mammal | Morgan horse |
| Mushroom | Bear's head tooth mushroom Hericium americanum |
| Reptile | Painted turtle |
| Tree | Sugar maple Acer saccharum |
| Inanimate insignia | |
| Beverage | Milk |
| Food | Apple pie |
| Fossil | Woolly mammoth, beluga whale |
| Gemstone | Grossular garnet |
| Mineral | Talc |
| Rock | Granite, marble, slate |
| Soil | Tunbridge |
| State route marker | |
 | |
| State quarter | |
 Released in 2001 | |
| Lists of United States state symbols | |
Native Americans have inhabited the area for about 12,000 years. The competitive tribes of the Algonquian-speaking Abenaki and Iroquoian-speaking Mohawk were active in the area at the time of European encounter. During the 17th century, French colonists claimed the territory as part of New France. Conflict arose when the Kingdom of Great Britain began to settle colonies to the south along the Atlantic coast; France was defeated in 1763 in the Seven Years' War, ceding its territory east of the Mississippi River to Britain. Thereafter, the nearby British Thirteen Colonies disputed the extent of the area called the New Hampshire Grants to the west of the Connecticut River, encompassing present-day Vermont. The provincial government of New York sold land grants to settlers in the region, which conflicted with earlier grants from the government of New Hampshire. The Green Mountain Boys militia protected the interests of the established New Hampshire land grant settlers. Ultimately, a group of settlers with New Hampshire land grant titles established the Vermont Republic in 1777 as an independent state during the American Revolutionary War. The Vermont Republic abolished slavery before any other U.S. state. It was admitted to the Union in 1791 as the 14th state.
The geography of the state is marked by the Green Mountains, which run north–south up the middle of the state, separating Lake Champlain and other valley terrain on the west from the Connecticut River Valley that defines much of its eastern border. A majority of its terrain is forested with hardwoods and conifers. The state has warm, humid summers and cold, snowy winters.
Vermont's economic activity of $40.6 billion in 2022[update] is ranked last on the list of U.S. states and territories by GDP, but 21st in GDP per capita. Known for its progressivism, the state was one of the first in the U.S. to recognize same-sex civil unions and marriage, has the highest proportion of renewable electricity generation at 99.9%, and is one of the least religious and least racially/ethnically diverse states. Dairy, forestry, maple syrup, and wine are important sectors in Vermont's agricultural economy. Vermont produces approximately 50% of the nation's maple syrup.
