The State Is Changing

About the Data

Primary Data Sources:

• VT PoC Community Survey (2024): Over 200 responses from BIPOC professionals, residents, and business owners across Vermont, capturing lived experiences, economic participation, health indicators, and community priorities.
• VT PoC Small Business Survey (2022): Focused data collection from BIPOC entrepreneurs identifying barriers to capital, technical assistance needs, and growth challenges.
• U.S. Census Bureau & American Community Survey (ACS): County-level demographic, housing, employment, and income data from 2010-2024, with 5-year estimates used for reliability.
• Vermont State Administrative Data: Department of Health (Adult Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey), Agency of Commerce and Community Development (tourism and relocation data), and other state datasets.
• Community Listening Sessions: Qualitative themes from facilitated discussions with BIPOC community members in rural and urban Vermont.

Data Integration Approach: This project combines community-driven primary data with authoritative public datasets to provide both statistical rigor and authentic community voice. The quantitative data establishes baseline trends, while qualitative data provides context, nuance, and priorities that numbers alone cannot capture.

Geographic Focus

Vermont's 14 Counties: Addison, Bennington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Essex, Franklin, Grand Isle, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham, and Windsor.

Urban vs. Rural Distinction: Approximately 63% of Vermont's BIPOC population lives outside Chittenden County, predominantly in rural areas. This geographic distribution presents unique challenges for service delivery, community building, and data collection.

Why County-Level Analysis Matters:

• Policy Alignment: Vermont's Regional Development Corporations, legislative districts, and many state programs operate at county or regional levels.
• Resource Distribution: Understanding where BIPOC Vermonters live helps target investments in housing, healthcare, transportation, and economic development.
• Rural Visibility: Statewide aggregates often mask the experiences of rural BIPOC communities. County-level data makes these populations visible to decision-makers.
• Comparative Context: County-level analysis allows comparison with similar rural counties nationally and regionally.

Methodological Note: When county-level sample sizes are too small (n<30), we aggregate to regional groupings or present statewide trends only, always noting these limitations transparently.

Who We Include

BIPOC Definition: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color—a term that centers racial equity while acknowledging diverse experiences within and across communities.

Racial/Ethnic Categories Used:

• Black/African American: Includes individuals who identify as Black or African American, whether U.S.-born or immigrants from Africa, the Caribbean, or elsewhere.
• Indigenous/Native American: Includes members of the Abenaki Nation and other Indigenous peoples with historical and contemporary ties to Vermont and the broader Northeast.
• Latino/Hispanic: Individuals of Latin American descent, regardless of race, including diverse national origins (Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Central and South American, etc.).
• Asian/Pacific Islander: Includes East Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander communities (Chinese, Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Nepalese, Bhutanese, and others).
• Multiracial: Individuals who identify with two or more racial or ethnic backgrounds, reflecting Vermont's growing mixed-heritage population.

Why These Categories? We align with U.S. Census categories for comparability while recognizing their limitations. In qualitative work, we use self-identification and honor the specific cultural identities community members name for themselves.

Important Considerations:

• These categories are socially constructed and do not capture the full complexity of identity, nationality, or culture.
• Within each category exists tremendous diversity in language, immigration status, socioeconomic background, and lived experience.
• We avoid aggregating when possible, but small sample sizes sometimes require it. We always note when aggregation obscures important differences.

A Note on Limitations

Small Sample Sizes: Vermont's BIPOC population, while growing rapidly, remains relatively small in absolute numbers. This creates statistical challenges:

• County-Level Data: Some counties have fewer than 100 BIPOC residents in certain categories, making reliable estimates difficult.
• Suppression for Privacy: Following best practices, we suppress data when cell sizes are below 10 individuals to protect anonymity.
• Confidence Intervals: Where possible, we report margins of error and confidence intervals to indicate uncertainty in estimates.
• Aggregation: When sample sizes are too small for disaggregation, we combine counties into regions or present statewide totals only.

Data Gaps:

• Undercounting: Census data likely undercounts immigrant populations, individuals with housing instability, and those with limited English proficiency.
• Missing Voices: Not all BIPOC Vermonters participate in surveys or Census. Our community survey represents a self-selected sample, not a random probability sample.
• Timing: Some datasets lag behind current reality. We use the most recent data available, but rapid demographic change means estimates may understate current diversity.

Methodological Transparency: We commit to clearly noting:

• Sample sizes and response rates
• Margins of error and statistical significance
• When data are suppressed or aggregated
• Differences between data sources and years
• Limitations in generalizability

Qualitative Strength: Where quantitative data is limited, qualitative insights from community surveys and listening sessions provide critical context and lived experience that numbers alone cannot capture.