Ranked from NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
Driest Counties in Vermont
The least rainfall in the country. Dry is easier on a building than wet, but it moves the cost somewhere else: irrigation, foundation movement in shrink-swell soils, and in the driest counties the price and reliability of water itself. Figures are NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals from the weather station nearest each county seat, so they describe a thirty-year average rather than any single year.
Vermont ranked
| # | County | Annual rainfall | FEMA risk rating | Median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Isle County | 30.9" | Very Low | $363,500 |
| 2 | Lamoille County | 35.5" | Very Low | $285,200 |
| 3 | Chittenden County | 37.5" | Relatively Low | $404,500 |
| 4 | Addison County | 38.7" | Very Low | $333,700 |
| 5 | Caledonia County | 39.3" | Very Low | $215,900 |
| 6 | Essex County | 39.3" | Very Low | $167,500 |
| 7 | Franklin County | 40.0" | Very Low | $285,500 |
| 8 | Rutland County | 40.3" | Relatively Low | $218,400 |
| 9 | Windham County | 40.3" | Relatively Low | $265,100 |
| 10 | Washington County | 41.4" | Relatively Low | $293,900 |
| 11 | Windsor County | 42.5" | Relatively Low | $267,400 |
| 12 | Orange County | 43.1" | Very Low | $251,000 |
| 13 | Orleans County | 43.8" | Very Low | $213,300 |
| 14 | Bennington County | 46.9" | Relatively Low | $257,400 |
Every figure is modelled on the county's own median home with 20% down at 7.03%. Property tax and electricity are county and state specific; homeowners insurance uses the NAIC average premium for that state, which ranges from 0.16% of home value in Hawaii to 1.16% in Oklahoma. Maintenance and water are national estimates. Full methodology.
Nationwide
Driest Counties across all 3,133 US counties · Every county in Vermont