Property tax by ZIP code in Vermont
Enter a Vermont ZIP and see the median property tax paid, median home value, and effective tax rate from the 2020–2024 American Community Survey — plus how it compares to the Vermont state median.
Look up a Vermont ZIP code
Enter a 5-digit Vermont ZIP code above to see its property tax data.
ZIP doesn't have ACS data — typically because it's a PO-box-only ZIP, a single-business ZIP, or a small area where the Census suppresses small-sample estimates. Try a nearby ZIP.
ZIP isn't a Vermont ZIP code. This page covers Vermont only. Other states are launching state by state — check back, or use our state-by-state median page in the meantime.
Vermont's effective property-tax rate is among the highest in the country — around 1.59% of value statewide. The reason is structural: on top of the municipal tax each town levies, Vermont funds its schools through a statewide education property tax set in Montpelier, with separate homestead and nonhomestead rates. The flip side is an income-based Property Tax Credit that sharply offsets the education tax for most resident homeowners, so the bill many Vermonters actually pay is well below what the gross rate implies.
Enter a 5-digit Vermont ZIP to see its median property tax, median home value, and effective rate from the US Census American Community Survey 2020–2024 vintage, plus how it compares to the Vermont state and US national medians. The explainer below covers how towns set the grand list, the Common Level of Appraisal that equalizes each town to market value, the homestead vs. nonhomestead education rates, and the income-based Property Tax Credit.
How Vermont property tax works
In Vermont, every town's elected listers or professional assessors maintain the grand list — the inventory of taxable property, valued at fair market value under 32 V.S.A. §3481. Because listed values drift away from the market over time, the state runs an annual Equalization Study that assigns each town a Common Level of Appraisal (CLA) — a correction factor that equalizes the town to 100% of fair market value. When a town's listed values trail actual sales, its CLA falls and its education tax rate is adjusted upward to compensate. Under Act 68 of 2023 (effective January 1, 2025), a full reappraisal must begin within six years of the last one, and the Director may order one if a town's coefficient of dispersion exceeds 20.
The defining feature of Vermont's system is the statewide education property tax. Each year the Legislature passes a "yield bill" that sets the nonhomestead rate plus the homestead and income yields used to derive local education rates. For FY2026 (Act 24, signed May 19, 2025) the nonhomestead rate is $1.703 per $100 of value, the homestead yield is $8,596 (an average homestead rate of roughly $1.595), and the income yield is $12,172. Resident owner-occupants must file a Homestead Declaration (Form HS-122) annually, around April 15, to be taxed at the homestead rate; property that isn't declared is taxed at the higher nonhomestead rate. This statewide education tax sits on top of the municipal taxes your town levies for local services.
What softens that high gross rate for most residents is the income-based Property Tax Credit (32 V.S.A. §6066), claimed on Form HS-122 with Schedule HI-144. It caps education property tax as a percentage of household income: for the 2025 tax year the household-income ceiling is $115,400, with a maximum education credit of $5,600 and a maximum municipal credit of $2,400. Separately, disabled veterans rated 50% or more (and certain survivors) receive an exemption of at least $10,000 of appraised value under §3802(11), which a town may raise to $40,000, and enrolled farm and forest land is taxed at use value rather than market value under the Current Use program (§3752).
Why your actual bill differs
The numbers above describe a typical homeowner in this ZIP — not your specific bill. A few things move bills away from the median:
- Two taxes in one bill. A Vermont bill combines the municipal tax your town levies with the statewide education tax, and the education portion splits into separate homestead and nonhomestead rates — so whether you've filed a Homestead Declaration changes the bill.
- The Common Level of Appraisal. When a town's listed values lag the market, its CLA falls and the state raises that town's education rate to compensate, so identical homes in different towns can owe different amounts.
- The income-based credit. The Property Tax Credit caps the education tax as a share of household income, pulling a qualifying resident's bill below the gross median; the veteran exemption and Current Use enrollment move it further still.
Vermont administers property tax town by town, so there's no single statewide bill lookup. The City of Burlington's parcel data and online payment portal is a working example; for other towns, search that town's website or land-records office.
Methodology
Data on this page comes from the US Census American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 vintage (released January 29, 2026), at the ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) level. After filtering ZCTAs the Census suppresses for privacy or small-sample reasons, this page covers 242 Vermont ZIPs.
Topcoding in Vermont. The Census caps median property tax at $10,000, reporting anything higher as $10,001. A small number of high-value Vermont ZIPs — some resort and second-home areas — reach that cap. For those ZIPs the true median is at least $10,000 and the effective rate shown is a conservative estimate; most Vermont ZIPs fall below the cap and are true medians.
See the full methodology page for source details (Census table IDs, the comparison-median rule, calculator formulas), how we handle topcoding across every state, and the refresh cadence.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the median tax in my ZIP different from what I pay?
Median is the middle of the distribution, not your bill. A Vermont bill stacks the municipal tax with the statewide education tax, the education tax splits into homestead and nonhomestead rates, and your town's Common Level of Appraisal nudges the rate up or down. The income-based Property Tax Credit then pulls most resident homeowners further from the median.
Why might my ZIP show $10,001 as the median tax?
That's the Census topcode for privacy. A small number of high-value Vermont ZIPs — a few resort and second-home areas — reach the $10,000 cap; for those the true median is at least $10,000 and the rate shown is conservative. Most Vermont ZIPs are true medians.
Where do I find my actual Vermont property tax bill?
Through your town clerk or treasurer. Vermont administers property tax town by town, so there's no statewide portal. The City of Burlington's parcel and payment portal is a working example.
When does Vermont data update on this page?
Annually, when the Census Bureau releases a new ACS 5-year vintage. The 2020–2024 vintage released January 29, 2026. The next vintage (2021–2025) typically follows the next year, though the Census has not yet posted its release date.
Why don't you cover other states yet?
State-by-state rollout. Each state needs its own context section (assessment method, exemptions, local taxing structure) to be genuinely useful. High-search-volume states are going live first.