Vermont
| Summary Demographic State Data (and Source) | |
|---|---|
| Population (2008 CB est.): | 621,270 |
| Population (2000 Census): | 608,827 |
| Foreign-Born Population (2008 FAIR ) | 22,475 |
| Foreign-Born Population (2000 Census): | 23,245 |
| Share Foreign-Born (2008 FAIR est.): | 3.6% |
| Share Foreign-Born (2000): | 3.8% |
| Immigrant Stock (2000 CB est.): | 71,000 |
| Share Immigrant Stock (2000 est.): | 11.7% |
| Naturalized U.S. Citizens (2006 CB est.): | 12,507 |
| Share Naturalized (2006): | 53.6% |
| Legal Immigrant Admission (DHS 1997- 2006): | 7,685 |
| Refugee Admission (DHS 1997-2006): | 2,319 |
| Illegal Alien Population (2008 FAIR est.): | 5,000 |
| Projected 2050 Population - (2006 FAIR): | 1,880,541 |
Vermont : Extended Data
STATE POPULATION
Using the Current Population Survey, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that in July 2008 Vermont’s population had increased to 621,270 residents, i.e., an annual average increase of about 1,500 residents since 2000. That is a rate of increase of about 0.2 percent per year.
Net International Migration (NIM)
Based on the Current Population Survey, the Census Bureau estimated that between the 2000 Census and July 2008 the state’s population increased by about 5,080 residents from net international migration (more foreign-born arriving than leaving). That was an annual average increase of about 610 residents, i.e., more than two-fifths (40.9%) of the total increase (not including the children born to the immigrants after their arrival in the United States).
The 2000 Census found 608,827 persons resident in Vermont. This was an increase of 46,069 persons above the 1990 Census. The rate of increase (8.2%) was slightly lower than the national average of 9.9 percent population increase.
The 2000 population is about 8,000 more persons than the Census Bureau had expected to find in the state in 2000 when it issued its most recent state population projections in 1996. The significance of this is that the Census Bureau has concluded that much of the shortfall in their population estimates during the 1990s was due to an underestimation of the illegal alien population.
Vermont had the 22nd greatest rate of population increase in the country between 1960-2000. The population of Vermont increased by 10 percent from 1980 to 1990 (from 511,456 to 562,758 residents).
FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION
Based on the American Community Survey (ACS), the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the foreign-born population of Vermont was 22,666 persons in 2006. The ACS is a large-scale, continuous sampling process designed to replace the need for a long-form in the 2010 Census. However, because the ACS does not have the same follow-up procedures as the Census to include non-respondents, it may underestimate the foreign-born population.
FAIR estimates that the foreign-born population of Vermont was about 22,475 residents in July 2008. This meant a foreign-born population share of 3.6 percent. The amount of change since the 2000 Census has been a slight decline in the foreign-born population. Since 2000, the foreign-born population has decreased by 3.3 percent compared to a 2.3 percent increase in the native-born population.
Immigration also contributes to population growth through the children born to immigrants in this country. Nationally the share of births to the foreign-born is about double their share of the population. A 7.2 percent share of the state’s current births is large enough to account for about 470 births a year. Combining the change in the foreign-born population and estimated immigrant births suggests that immigration may account for about 375 persons added to the state’s population annually, i.e., one-fourth (25%) of the state’s overall population increase.
The 2000 Census found that 35.3 percent of Vermont's foreign-born population had arrived in the state since 1990. This was a lower share than the national average (43.7%). An indicator of the change in the immigrant population may be seen in data on the share of the population that speaks a language other than English at home. Between 1990 and 2000 the share of non-English speakers at home in Vermont decreased slightly, from 5.8 percent to 5.3 percent. Less than two-fifths (35.9%) of those who said they spoke a language other than English at home in 2000 also said they spoke English less than very well.
| Speakers of Foreign Languages (at home in Vermont in the 2000 Census) |
|
| French | 14,605 |
| Spanish | 5,790 |
| German | 2,610 |
| Serbocroation | 1,515 |
| Italian | 1,200 |
| Polish | 975 |
| Vietnamese | 810 |
| Chinese | 740 |
| Russian | 555 |
| Dutch | 350 |
| (Source: Census Bureau report: Language Spoken at Home for the Population 5 Years and Over, April 2004) | |
The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey found that in 2006, the foreign born population was 24,182 residents, an increase of 4.0 percent since 2000. In comparison, the foreign-born population changed from 17,544 to 23,245 residents between 1990 and 2000, an increase of 32.5 percent.
The ten countries below constituted approximately three fifths (58.8%) of the foreign-born population in Vermont in 2006. Of the total foreign-born population, Canada alone accounted for approximately one third (28.5%).
| Foreign-Born Change Since 1990: Top Ten Countries 1990-2006 | ||||||||
| Rank | Country | 1990 | Country | 2000 | Country | 2006 | ||
| 1 | Canada | 7,572 | Canada | 7,921 | Canada | 6,903 | ||
| 2 | Germany | 1,555 | United Kingdom | 1,744 | Germany | 1,589 | ||
| 3 | United Kingdom | 1,528 | Germany | 1,669 | Russia | 1,038 | ||
| 4 | Italy | 481 | Yugoslavia | 1,557 | India | 854 | ||
| 5 | France | 416 | China | 846 | England | 843 | ||
| 6 | Netherlands | 355 | Vietnam | 796 | China | 798 | ||
| 7 | Poland | 316 | Korea | 588 | Philippines | 642 | ||
| 8 | Japan | 282 | India | 585 | Vietnam | 581 | ||
| 9 | China | 260 | France | 400 | Korea | 508 | ||
| 10 | Philippines | 254 | Poalnd | 381 | United Kingdom | 469 | ||
| All Others | 4,525 | All Other | 6,767 | All Others | 9,957 | |||
| Total | 17,554 | Total | 23,245 | Total | 24,182 | |||
THE IMMIGRANT STOCK
The Census Bureau estimated that there were about 71,000 people in Vermont in 1997 who were "immigrant stock." That is a term that refers to immigrants and their children born here after their arrival. Based on that estimate, and the population of 608,827 residents, the immigrant stock share of the state's population was 11.7 percent in 2000.
As the graph below shows, the amount and share of Vermont’s population change due to the increase in the foreign stock is rising rapidly. Over the past 34 years the new immigrants and children born to them have added about 27,900 people to the population. Over this period, the increase in the foreign stock has accounted for 15.7 percent of the state’s population increase.
NATURALIZATION
Data from the 2006 American Community Survey indicate that 12,507 residents, or 51.7 percent, of the foreign-born population in Vermont were citizens, compared to 12,451 residents, or 53.6 percent, in 2000. Nationally, 40.3 percent of the foreign-born population was citizens in 2000 and 42.0 percent were citizens in 2006.
REFUGEE SETTLEMENT
Vermont has received 2,319 refugees over the most recent ten fiscal years (FY'97-'06), with 165 arriving in FY’06.
Under the Office of Refugee Resettlement's (HHS) assistance funding for FY'02 $221,861 is available for refugee employment training and other services programs in Vermont based on a three-year refugee settlement program covering 884 refugees (an average of $251 per refugee). This allocation does not include a larger share (55%) of funding programs for communities heavily affected by recent Cuban and Haitian entrants, communities with refugees whose cultural differences make assimilation especially difficult, communities impacted by federal welfare reform changes, educational support to schools with significant refugee students, and discretionary grants.
LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY STUDENTS
Data are not available nationally on immigrant students (either legally or illegally resident in the United States) who are enrolled in primary and secondary schools (K-12). However, many of these students are enrolled in Limited English Proficiency/English Language Learning (LEP/ELL) instruction programs. Many may be U.S.-born, but the majority of these students may be assumed to be either immigrants or the children of immigrants, with the exception being areas with native Americans who speak a native language other than English.
In Vermont, overall enrollment in 2002 (99,599) was 10 percent brlow enrollment in 1993. By contrast, LEP enrollment (997 - one percent of all enrollment) was 38 percent higher than a decade earlier.
Data on enrollment in LEP/ELL programs are collected by the federal government from school systems that receive Title VII funds for these special instruction programs. The data on LEP/ELL enrollment are understated because data from private schools that do not apply for Title VII assistance are sketchy.
FOREIGN STUDENTS
The 2006/07 annual report of the Institute of International Education (IIE) lists the number of foreign students attending post-secondary school in Vermont as 983. Below, a chart illustrates the sharp increase of foreign students attending school in Vermont from 1960-2000.
For information on foreign student issues see: Foreign Students in the United States.
ILLEGAL ALIENS
FAIR Estimate - FAIR’s estimate of the state’s illegal alien population as of 2007 is about 5,000 persons. This is part of an overall estimate of the U.S. illegal alien population of about 13 million persons.
INS/DHS Estimate - The INS (now dissolved into the Dept. of Homeland Security) estimated in February 2003 that the resident illegal population in Vermont was 2,250 as of January 2000.
Other Estimates - The Pew Hispanic Center estimates the illegal alien population of the state at less than 10,000 as of 2005.
COST OF ILLEGAL ALIENS
The INS estimate of the illegal alien population released in February 2003 listed Vermont as having an illegal alien population of less than 2,500 residents. This indicates a drop from the previous INS estimate of 2,700 illegal aliens as of October 1996. That estimate was an increase over the 2,400 illegal alien residents previously estimated for October 1992.
Vermont has received partial compensation under the federal State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) that was established in 1994 to compensate the states and local jurisdictions for incarceration of "undocumented," aliens who are serving time for a felony conviction or at least two misdemeanors.
The recent SCAAP amounts that Vermont has received were:
| FY’99 | — | 133,946 |
| FY’00 | — | $32,032 |
| FY’01 | — | $53,792 |
| FY’02 | — | $40,546 |
| FY’03 | — | $24,412 |
| FY’04 | — | $32,118 |
The amount of SCAAP awards has been declining in both total distributions and even more as a share of the state’s expenses. In FY’99 the state received 38.6% of its costs for 11 prisoner years of detention. By FY’02, the state’s reported illegal alien detention rose by 44 percent to 16 prisoner years, while compensation fell by 70 percent and has continued to decline.
Medical Costs - Under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, hospitals with emergency rooms are required to treat and stabilize patients with emergency medical needs regardless whether or not they are in the country legally or whether they are able to pay for the treatment. Congress in 2003 enacted an appropriation of $250 million per year (for 4 years) to help offset some of the costs due to use of this service by illegal aliens. This amount has been allocated among the states based upon estimates of the illegal alien population and data on the apprehension of illegal aliens in each state. This amount compensates only a fraction of the medical outlays. For Vermont, the proposed payment in fiscal year 2004 is $11,923.
Educational Costs - Breaking the Piggy Bank: How Illegal Immigration is Sending Schools into the Red, we estimated based on 2004 data that educational expenditures for illegal immigration were costing the taxpayers in Vermont and seven other states $29.8 million dollars annually. This cost was partially for educating students who were themselves illegally in the country ($12.4 million) and in part for the education of their siblings born in the United States to illegal residents ($17.4 million).
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
You can view a listing of local immigration reform groups here.
STATE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION VOTING RECORD
You can view the voting record of your representatives in Congress regarding immigration issues in our voting report section.
Vermont : Admissions of New Immigrants
| Vermont Immigrant Admissions by Fiscal Year | |
| 1997 | 627 |
| 1998 | 513 |
| 1999 | 497 |
| 2000 | 810 |
| 2001 | 954 |
| 2002 | 1,007 |
| 2003 | 550 |
| 2004 | 790 |
| 2005 | 1,042 |
| 2006 | 895 |
| Total | 7,685 |
Recent immigrant admissions have increased by about 51 percent since adoption of the current immigration system in 1965. During the 1965-'69 period, annual admissions averaged about 570 immigrants. During the 2002-'06 period, admissions averaged about 855 immigrants.
The charts below show recent immigrant admissions and the cumulative INS immigrant admissions data since 1965. The number of annual admissions has ranged from 274 in FY'74 to 1,042 in FY'05. The cumulative total of admissions to Vermont between fiscal years 1965 and 2006 was 22,545 immigrants.
The data for fiscal years 1989-91 were artificially raised slightly by the inclusion of former illegal aliens who were amnestied in 1986. According to INS data (1991) the number of amnesty applicants from Vermont was 67 (42 pre-1982 residents and 25 agricultural workers)- the second lowest number in the United States after North Dakota.
The data for FY'95, and FY'97-'99 were artificially low because the INS did not issue green cards to all the eligible applicants for adjustment of status who were already in the United States. In those four years, new immigration could have registered as much as 30 percent higher, if the INS had kept up with its workload.
Beginning with FY'01, the INS began to increase admissions as a result of reducing the size of the backlog of Section 245(i) adjustment of status cases, i.e., amnesty, for illegal aliens.
INS DATA BY NATIONALITY: FY'93 - FY'02
The INS data below are furnished for nationals of the countries with the largest number of immigrants admitted or adjusted to legal residence each year since 1993. The absence of data means that the total number of admissions to the United States by nationals of that country was not enough to merit detailed reporting in that year.
The nationalities may change each year, so the totals in some cases will not reflect all the immigrants of that nationality who have become legal immigrants in Vermont during this period.
| Immigrant Admissions by Fiscal Year | |||||||||||
| Country | FY'93 | FY'94 | FY'95 | FY'96 | FY'97 | FY'98 | FY'99 | FY'00 | FY'01 | FY'02 | Total |
| Bangladesh | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Canada | 124 | 145 | 92 | 112 | 94 | 55 | 70 | 127 | 111 | 114 | 1,044 |
| China * | 101 | 70 | 40 | 48 | 38 | 32 | 38 | 63 | 74 | 73 | 577 |
| Colombia | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 29 |
| Cuba | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Dom. Rep. | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 19 |
| Ecuador | 1 | - | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| El Salvador | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| Germany | 20 | 33 | 19 | - | 18 | 22 | 15 | 35 | 36 | 48 | 246 |
| Guatemala | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 46 |
| Guyana | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 2 |
| Haiti | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 14 |
| Honduras | 2 | - | - | - | 2 | 1 | 7 | 6 | - | 2 | 20 |
| India | 27 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 11 | 53 | 23 | 32 | 38 | 45 | 287 |
| Iran | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 35 |
| Ireland | 19 | 30 | - | - | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | - | 3 | 56 |
| Jamaica | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 16 | 43 |
| Japan | - | 6 | - | - | 7 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 53 |
| Korea | 21 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 14 | 22 | 12 | 14 | 25 | 20 | 162 |
| Mexico | 6 | 3 | 6 | 19 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 80 |
| Nicaragua | - | - | - | - | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 12 |
| Nigeria | - | - | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | - | 3 | - | 6 | 14 |
| Pakistan | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 3 | - | 4 | 5 | 2 | 32 |
| Peru | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 23 |
| Philippines | 9 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 18 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 137 |
| Poland | 4 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 14 | 7 | 54 |
| Soviet Union * | 45 | 60 | 35 | 23 | 19 | 37 | 39 | 41 | 37 | 47 | 383 |
| Trin.& Tob. | - | 2 | - | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | - | 3 | 8 |
| U. Kingdom | 33 | 34 | 32 | 33 | 31 | 21 | 16 | 30 | 50 | 39 | 319 |
| Vietnam | 157 | 63 | 17 | 81 | 73 | 13 | 29 | 56 | 50 | 41 | 580 |
| Yugo. * | - | - | 84 | 87 | 128 | 88 | 80 | 132 | 240 | 319 | 1,158 |
| Other | 125 | 147 | 144 | 179 | 130 | 116 | 109 | 194 | 204 | 153 | 1,501 |
| Total | 709 | 658 | 535 | 654 | 627 | 513 | 497 | 810 | 954 | 1,007 | 6,964 |
A dash (-) indicates that the data for that year were not published for that country in the INS Statistical Yearbook.
* China data include Hong Kong and Taiwan. Former USSR data continued since break-up (except FY'96-'97 and ‘01 includes only Russia and Ukraine). Former Yugoslavia data continued since break-up.
The 31 nationalities above represent more than three-quarters (78.4%) of all immigrant settlement and adjustment in Vermont during this ten-year period. The largest sources of the new immigrants (Canada, China, former Yugoslavia, former Soviet Union, and the U.K.) account for half of the ten-year total. Canada and former Yugoslavia each accounted for more than one-eighth of the total.
Vermont : Poll Data
Rasmussen Poll: Arizona Law SB 1070
July 2010
Suppose the new Arizona immigration law was being considered for your state. Would you favor or oppose passage of that law in your state?
Vermont : Impact of Immigration
Environmental and Quality of Life Profile
Education: Between 1990 and 2000, Vermont's elementary and high school enrollment increased 13 percent.1 Some areas are experiencing particularly dramatic increases: In Rutland, the high school population increased ten percent in just one year.2 In 2001, the Champlain Valley, high school enrollment was already 20 percent over the district's capacity and was expected to be 70 percent over capacity by 2007.3
Disappearing open space: The amount of developed land in Vermont increased by 131,300 acres from 1982 to 2007, growing at a pace of 4,780 acres per year over the last ten years of that period.4
In a demonstration of the extent of the problem, 20 percent of federal grant money for preserving farmland went to Vermont in 2001.5 When Vermonters were surveyed in 1998 on changes in their communities, 72 percent said they had noticed working landscape divided into house lots, 66 percent the loss of places of hiking, hunting, or fishing, 66 percent the loss of a favorite view, and 63 percent haphazard growth patterns.6
Sprawl: Between 1982 and 1992, the amount of developed land in Vermont grew 25 percent; nearly 40 percent of the land developed was either cropland or pasture.7 In Chittenden County, sprawl has begun to threaten the character of towns like Colchester, where residential housing permits requested went from an average of 60 a year in the 1990s to 800 in 2001. Concerns about sprawl have led Colchester and other communities to begin creating regulations to slow growth.8 Seventy percent of Vermonters say action should be taken to curb sprawl.9
Housing: An estimated 29,015 of Vermont’s housing units were classified as crowded in 2008, defined as units with more than one occupant per room. This amounted to 1.3 percent of the state’s housing units. In addition, 835 were severely crowded, with at least 1.5 occupants per room.10 6 percent of the state’s children live in crowded housing.11 Nationwide, children in immigrant families were three times as likely to live in crowded conditions as children in native families (27 percent to 9 percent).12
An analysis in 2000 estimated that Washington, Chittenden, Lamoille, Franklin, Addison, and Grand Isle counties had a shortage of 7,400 housing units; that shortage was expected to grow to 10,000 by 2010.13
In 2000, the rental vacancy rate in Chittenden had reached zero; in Burlington, it was at 0.25 percent. The governor predicted in 2000 that the housing crunch will only get worse and that northwestern Vermont would need 24,000 additional homes over the next ten years.14
Poverty: Immigrants in Vermont are more likely to be poor than natives. About 18.4 percent of foreign-born households had incomes below 150 percent of the poverty level in 2008, compared to 18.2 percent of natives.15
Traffic: Vermont highway traffic increased by 26 percent between 1990 and 2008.16 About 11 percent of Vermont commuters had a commute of 45 minutes or longer in 2008.17
Solid Waste: Vermont generates .99 tons of solid waste per capita each year.18 If this rate does not change, projected population growth between 2008 and 2050 will add about 1.2 million tons of solid waste to the state’s annual output.
Water: By 2050 the state's population is projected to rise from 624,000 in 2006 to 750,000.19 Vermont has a daily, per-capita water demand of 98.6 gallons.20 If water use rates do not change, population growth will increase Vermont’s water demand by over 10 million gallons per day in 2050.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, water resources in Vermont are being increasingly stressed by new demands.21 Even though per capita use of fresh water dropped 14 percent in Vermont between 1990 and 1995, population growth caused water use to rise from 45 million gallons a day to 50 million gallons a day.22 Drought conditions have persisted for several years across Vermont and in 2002 Lake Champlain's levels had fallen to their lowest observed level during the last thirty years.23 Vermont's water treatment infrastructure needs $362 million in improvements over the next 20 years and $459 million in drinking water infrastructure, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.24
Air Quality: Bennington and Chittenden counties both received a grade of "F" from the American Lung Association in their "State of the Air 2005" report.25
Illegal Residents: Almost 2,500 illegal aliens resided in Vermont as of 2000, according to INS figures. Illegal aliens have been found working in Vermont's construction industry and being smuggled over the northern border on their way to other states.26
Endnotes:
- "Table DP-1-4, Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 1990 and 2000," Census 2000, U.S. Census Bureau.
- "Spending Up, Taxes Down at Rutland Schools," Associated Press, April 25, 2000.
- "Voters Turn Down School Expansion," Associated Press, November 7, 2001.
- USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, "Summary Report: 2007 National Resources Inventory."
- Vermont Gets $3.5 Million for Farmland Protection," Associated Press, June 6, 2001.
- "Exploring Sprawl," Vermont Forum on Sprawl, 1999.
- David Gram, "Forum Study: Development More Than Double Population Growth," Associated Press, November 9, 1999.
- "Tidal Wave of Residential Growth Bears Down on Colchester," Associated Press, June 23, 2001.
- "Poll Finds Opposition to Sprawl Growing," Associated Press, August 4, 2002.
- American Community Survey, Three-Year Estimates 2006-2008. Data retrieved using ACS Custom Table tool.
- Kids Count Data Center, Kids Count Data Center, 2008 American Community Survey Data.
- Kids Count Data Center, 2008 American Community Survey Data.
- Ross Sneyd, "Availability of Affordable Housing Still a Crisis," Associated Press, March 15, 2002.
- Lisa Rathke, "Report Says Housing Shortage Likely to Get Worse as Economy Grows," Associated Press, August 17, 2000.
- State Fact Sheet, Migration Information Source, Migration Policy Institute.
- The Road Information Project (TRIP), "Key Facts about Vermont’s Surface Transportation System and Federal Funding," May 2010.
- American Community Survey, 2008 Estimates, Custom Data Table.
- Report Card for America's Infrastructure 2005," American Society of Civil Engineers.
- "Jack Martin and Stanley Fogel. "Projecting the U.S. Population to 2050." FAIR. March 2006.
- U.S. Geological Survey 2000.
- "U.S. Geological Survey Programs in Vermont," U.S. Geological Survey website, 2003
- "Estimated Water Use in the United States, 1900 and 1995," Table 2, U.S. Geologicial Survey.
- "Drought Threatens the Northeast," Northeast States Emergency Consortium News, Spring 2002.
- The 2001 Report Card for America's Infrastructure, American Society of Civil Engineers, 2001.
- "State of the Air 2005: Vermont", American Lung Association.
- "Illegal Aliens Nabbed at Construction Site," Associated Press, August 23, 2001. "Seven Illegal Aliens Nabbed at Derby Line Border," Associated Press, May 10, 2002.