List of counties in Vermont facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Counties of Vermont
Franklin GI Orleans Lamoille Caledonia Essex Washington Chittenden Addison Orange Rutland Windsor Bennington Windham
Location	State of Vermont
Number	14
Populations	6,010 (Essex) – 169,481 (Chittenden)
Areas	83 square miles (210 km2) (Grand Isle) – 971 square miles (2,510 km2) (Windsor)
Government	County government
Subdivisions	Cities, towns, villages, unincorporated communities

Vermont is a state in the United States that is divided into fourteen main areas called counties. Think of a county as a large region within a state. These counties work together to form the entire state of Vermont.

Inside these counties, you'll find many smaller places. There are 237 towns, 10 cities, 5 areas that aren't officially part of a town or city (called unincorporated areas), and 4 special land areas called gores. Each county also has a main town where its government offices are located. This main town is often called a "shire town."

History of Vermont's Counties

Vermont didn't always have fourteen counties. When the state was first formed in 1779, it only had two counties. The western part of the state was called Bennington County. The eastern part was known as Cumberland County.

Over time, more counties were created as the state grew. In 1781, three new counties were made from parts of Cumberland County. The rest of Cumberland County was then renamed Windham County.

Today's Washington County has an interesting history too. It was first created in 1810 and called Jefferson County. But just four years later, in 1814, its name was changed to Washington County.

The Northeast Kingdom

Three counties in Vermont are often grouped together and called the Northeast Kingdom. These are Essex County, Orleans County, and Caledonia County. This nickname helps people refer to this beautiful and often wild part of the state.

List of Vermont Counties

Here is a list of all fourteen counties in Vermont. You can see when each county was created, where its name came from, and its main shire town.

County	FIPS code	Shire town	Est.	Origin	Etymology	Population	Area	Map
Addison County	001	Middlebury	October 18, 1785	Part of Rutland County.	Named after Joseph Addison (1672–1719), an English politician and writer.	&&&&&&&&&&037720.&&&&&037,720	&&&&&&&&&&&&0770.&&&&&0770 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&01994.&&&&&01,994 km2)
Bennington County	003	Bennington, Manchester	February 11, 1779	One of the original two counties.	Named after Benning Wentworth (1696–1770), a colonial governor of New Hampshire.	&&&&&&&&&&037183.&&&&&037,183	&&&&&&&&&&&&0676.&&&&&0676 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&01751.&&&&&01,751 km2)
Caledonia County	005	St. Johnsbury	November 5, 1792	Part of Orange County.	Named from the Latin name for Scotland.	&&&&&&&&&&030610.&&&&&030,610	&&&&&&&&&&&&0651.&&&&&0651 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&01686.&&&&&01,686 km2)
Chittenden County	007	Burlington	October 22, 1787	Part of Addison County.	Named after Thomas Chittenden (1730–1797), Vermont's first governor.	&&&&&&&&&0169481.&&&&&0169,481	&&&&&&&&&&&&0539.&&&&&0539 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&01396.&&&&&01,396 km2)
Essex County	009	Guildhall	November 5, 1792	Part of Orange County.	Named after Essex, a county in England.	&&&&&&&&&&&06010.&&&&&06,010	&&&&&&&&&&&&0665.&&&&&0665 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&01722.&&&&&01,722 km2)
Franklin County	011	St. Albans (city)	November 5, 1792	Part of Chittenden County.	Named after Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), one of America's Founding Fathers.	&&&&&&&&&&050994.&&&&&050,994	&&&&&&&&&&&&0637.&&&&&0637 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&01650.&&&&&01,650 km2)
Grand Isle County	013	North Hero	November 9, 1802	Part of Chittenden County and Franklin County.	Named after the largest island in Lake Champlain.	&&&&&&&&&&&07467.&&&&&07,467	&&&&&&&&&&&&&083.&&&&&083 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&&0215.&&&&&0215 km2)
Lamoille County	015	Hyde Park (town)	October 26, 1835	Parts of Chittenden County, Franklin County, Orleans County and Washington County.	Named from La Mouette (meaning the seagull), a name given by French explorer Samuel de Champlain.	&&&&&&&&&&026060.&&&&&026,060	&&&&&&&&&&&&0461.&&&&&0461 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&01194.&&&&&01,194 km2)
Orange County	017	Chelsea	February 22, 1781	Part of Cumberland County.	Named after Prince William (1650–1702) of Orange.	&&&&&&&&&&029943.&&&&&029,943	&&&&&&&&&&&&0689.&&&&&0689 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&01785.&&&&&01,785 km2)
Orleans County	019	Newport (city)	November 5, 1792	Part of Chittenden County and Orange County.	Named after the city of Orléans, France.	&&&&&&&&&&027516.&&&&&027,516	&&&&&&&&&&&&0697.&&&&&0697 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&01805.&&&&&01,805 km2)
Rutland County	021	Rutland (city)	February 22, 1781	Part of Bennington County.	Named after the town of Rutland, Massachusetts.	&&&&&&&&&&060271.&&&&&060,271	&&&&&&&&&&&&0932.&&&&&0932 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&02414.&&&&&02,414 km2)
Washington County	023	Montpelier	November 1, 1810	Parts of Orange County, Caledonia County, and Chittenden County. Renamed from Jefferson County to Washington County on November 8, 1814	Named after George Washington (1732–1799), the first President of the United States.	&&&&&&&&&&060142.&&&&&060,142	&&&&&&&&&&&&0690.&&&&&0690 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&01787.&&&&&01,787 km2)
Windham County	025	Newfane	February 22, 1779 (as Cumberland County) (renamed 1781)	One of the original two counties.	Named after the town of Windham, Connecticut.	&&&&&&&&&&045966.&&&&&045,966	&&&&&&&&&&&&0789.&&&&&0789 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&02044.&&&&&02,044 km2)
Windsor County	027	Woodstock	February 22, 1781	Part of Cumberland County.	Named after the town of Windsor, Connecticut.	&&&&&&&&&&058101.&&&&&058,101	&&&&&&&&&&&&0971.&&&&&0971 sq mi (&&&&&&&&&&&02515.&&&&&02,515 km2)

See also

• List of cities in Vermont
• List of gores in Vermont
• List of towns in Vermont
• List of former United States counties