Vermont cost data
What senior care actually costs in Vermont
Vermont is among the ten most expensive states in the country in every category the 2025 national cost survey priced here. Assisted living runs a median $103,137 a year and home care $102,960— second highest in the United States.
The short answer
At Vermont medians: assisted living costs about $8,595 a month, non-medical home care about $45.00 an hour, a semi-private nursing home room about $464 a day and a private room about $511 a day. Every one of those is well above the national figure. A median is the middle of the range, not a quote—about half of Vermont providers charge more.
Vermont against the national median
| Care type | Vermont | Per month | National | Vermont premium | State rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home care — non-medical caregiver | $102,960 | $8,580 | $80,080 | +29% | #2 |
| Assisted living community | $103,137 | $8,595 | $74,400 | +39% | #5 |
| Nursing home — semi-private room | $169,360 | $14,113 | $114,975 | +47% | #8 |
| Nursing home — private room | $186,333 | $15,528 | $129,575 | +44% | #7 |
| Adult day health care | Not published | — | $24,700 | — | — |
State rank counts from the most expensive. Adult day health care has no published Vermont figure in the 2025 edition, so only the national median is shown.
What each figure actually covers
Home care — non-medical caregiver
Vermont median $102,960 a year, $8,580 a month, up 3% on the previous year. Both figures assume 44 hours of care a week. Vermont works out at $45.00 an hour, against $35.00 nationally.
Assisted living community
Vermont median $103,137 a year, $8,595 a month, up 9% on the previous year. Vermont works out at $8,595 a month, against $6,200 nationally.
Nursing home — semi-private room
Vermont median $169,360 a year, $14,113 a month, up 3% on the previous year. Vermont works out at $464 a day, against $315 nationally.
Nursing home — private room
Vermont median $186,333 a year, $15,528 a month, up 2% on the previous year. Vermont works out at $511 a day, against $355 nationally.
Adult day health care
The 2025 survey published no Vermont figure for adult day health care. The national figure assumes five days a week at $95 a day.
Why Vermont costs more than most states
Vermont ranks in the top ten nationally in every category the survey priced here, and second in the country for home care. Three things drive that. The state is rural, so a caregiver spends paid time travelling between visits and agencies price that in. The direct-care workforce is small and competing with every other employer in a tight labour market. And supply is genuinely limited: Vermont licenses 138 residential care homes, assisted living residences and nursing homes in the entire state, which leaves little price competition in most counties.
Assisted living rose 9% in a single year in Vermont, against 5% nationally. If you are planning more than a year ahead, plan for the increase rather than today’s number.
The comparison families usually get wrong
Comparing an hourly home-care rate with a monthly community fee is the most common mistake, and it flatters home care. A fair comparison puts the mortgage or rent, property tax, utilities, food, home insurance and maintenance in the home-care column, because a community fee already includes them. It also counts the hours nobody is being paid for—the overnights and weekends a family member currently covers—because those are the hours that get bought first when a carer burns out.
Use the cost calculator to put your own numbers side by side. It runs entirely in your browser and sends nothing anywhere.
How people actually pay for this
- Private funds. Income, savings, pensions and the proceeds of a house sale cover most of the market.
- Vermont Medicaid, through Choices for Care. Assistive Community Care Services and Enhanced Residential Care pay for services in licensed residential settings, not for room and board. Eligibility is decided by the state.
- Long-term care insurance. Read the elimination period, the daily benefit cap and whether the policy pays for a residential care home as well as a nursing home.
- Veterans benefits. Aid and Attendance can add to income for those who qualify.
- Medicare. Short-term skilled nursing or rehabilitation after a qualifying hospital stay, and clinician-ordered home health. Not long-term care, and not room and board.
None of the above is an eligibility determination. Vermont Senior Care does not decide who qualifies for any programme, and a benefits decision should come from the programme itself or a qualified adviser.
Common questions about Vermont care costs
How much does assisted living cost in Vermont?
The 2025 CareScout Cost of Care Survey puts the Vermont median at $103,137 a year, about $8,595 a month. That is 39% above the national median and makes Vermont the 5th most expensive state for assisted living. A median is the middle of the range, so roughly half of Vermont communities sit above it.
How much does home care cost per hour in Vermont?
The survey reports a Vermont median of $102,960 a year for a non-medical caregiver, on an assumption of 44 hours a week. That works out at $45.00 an hour, against $35.00 nationally. Only one state is more expensive. Agencies quote differently, and minimum shifts, weekends, overnights, holidays and travel can all change the real number.
Why is senior care so expensive in Vermont?
Vermont ranks in the ten most expensive states in every category the 2025 survey priced here. The state is rural, which raises travel time per visit; the workforce is small and ageing; and there are relatively few licensed settings competing on price. Vermont licenses only 138 residential care homes, assisted living residences and nursing homes in total.
Does Medicare pay for assisted living or a care home?
No. Medicare does not pay for room and board in assisted living or a residential care home, and it does not pay for long-term non-medical home care. It can cover short-term skilled nursing or rehabilitation after a qualifying hospital stay, and some home health services when a clinician orders them. Those are different services from the ones priced on this page.
What does Vermont Medicaid pay towards residential care?
Vermont uses two payments in licensed residential settings: Assistive Community Care Services and Enhanced Residential Care. Both pay for services rather than room and board, so a resident still contributes the housing portion. Eligibility runs through Choices for Care and is decided by the state. Of the 138 licensed settings in Vermont, our reading of the state directory shows 81 taking ACCS and 60 taking ERC.
Is home care cheaper than assisted living in Vermont?
It depends entirely on hours. At the Vermont medians, 44 hours a week of home care runs slightly under assisted living for the year, but a person still pays their existing housing costs on top. Below roughly 30 hours a week home care is usually cheaper; above that the two converge and then cross. The honest comparison adds the mortgage or rent, utilities, food, insurance and home maintenance to the home-care column.
Method and sources
Cost figures are quoted from the CareScout Cost of Care Survey, 2025 edition, published March 2, 2026. CareScout collected more than 25,000 rates from providers between July to November 2025 and reports medians. We have not modelled or adjusted any figure; the per-month, per-day and per-hour conversions divide the published annual figure and the arithmetic is shown beside each one. Facility counts are our own reading of the Vermont state licence directories.
Page reviewed August 16, 2026. We update this page when a new edition of the survey is published.