Metro area in Vermont · part of the Burlington-South Burlington-Barre, VT combined area
Burlington-South Burlington, VT
The Burlington-South Burlington metro area authorized 1,258 new housing units in 2025. No year in the 2004–2025 record brought more permits than 2025, a distinction it shares with 16 other metro areas. Recent building has outrun the boom: the 2021–2025 yearly average was 21% above the 2004–2006 average, the largest recovery by this measure among the 17 metro areas based in the New England states.
Single-family2–4 units5+ units
The housing bust cut annual permits by 59%, from 1,227 at the 2004–2006 high to 508 in 2008, the mildest drop among the 17 metro areas based in the New England states.
Houses or apartments
In Burlington, VT, 39% of the units authorized in 2021–2025 were single-family houses and 54% were in buildings of five or more units, against 34% nationally. The closest match in building mix among the 386 other metro areas is Los Angeles (54% in five-plus buildings). That share has risen sharply since 2004–2006, when it stood at 20%. Duplexes to fourplexes are unusually common here: 7.2% of units, against 3.5% nationally. Units in five-plus buildings peaked in 2025 (732), single-family houses in 2004 (710).
Boom, bust and since
Its peak year is shared by 16 other metro areas, among them Lafayette, IN, Abilene, Goldsboro. From 2024 to 2025 the count rose 14%.
Busiest permit offices
Across the metro area, 36 permit offices authorized new housing in 2021–2025. The busiest was South Burlington, with 1,233 units or 22% of the total, followed by Burlington with 1,074. Among the three largest, Burlington put 86% of its units in five-plus buildings, Colchester town 58%.
Share of the units authorized in the metro area, 2021–2025.
Where in the metro
Chittenden County accounted for 81% of the metro area's units in 2021–2025, Franklin County for 17%.
Relative to population
With 227,803 residents in July 2025, Burlington, VT authorized 5.0 units per 1,000 residents a year in 2021–2025, close to the national 4.7. The metro areas with the nearest rates are Corpus Christi (5.1) and Pocatello (5.0).
Similar in size
| Metro area | 2004–2025 | 2025 units | Per 1,000 a year | 5+ share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlottesville, VA | 2,135 | 6.8 | 34% | |
| Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN | 4,058 | 9.3 | 73% | |
| Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ | 1,817 | 9.2 | 1.9% | |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | 1,258 | 5.0 | 54% | |
| Gainesville, GA | 1,996 | 9.2 | 24% |
Rates and shares: 2021–2025.
Every yearly figure behind the chart, split by building size: yearly-units.csv. State view: Vermont. Counting rules.