The following list provides links to data and information useful in creating community assessments for municipal plans.
General
- Vermont Planning Atlas - Information about your town and the state as a whole. Be sure to explore information available in the tabs and check back as more information will be added as it is available.
- Regional Planning Commissions - Regional Planning Commissions often have the best available data and analysis available for your municipality.
- Vermont Center for Geographic Information - VCGI maintains Vermont’s largest database of geospatial information.
Demographics
- 2010-2030 Population Projections - ACCD has published 30-year population projections for all of Vermont’s municipalities and counties.
- Vital Records and Population Data - Vermont Department of Health annually publishes data on births, deaths and other vital statistics by municipality, county and statewide.
Economic Conditions
- Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy resource page - webpage with links to the statewide and regional comprehensive economic development strategies.
- Guide to State and Local Workforce Data - useful guide published by the US Dept. of Labor
- Vermont Department of Labor website - Economic & Labor Market Information and research from the Department of Labor.
- LODES OnTheMap - a web-based mapping and reporting application developed by the US Census that shows where workers are employed and where they live. It also provides companion reports on age, earnings, industry distributions, race, ethnicity, educational attainment, and sex.
- Vermont Food System Atlas - a searchable mapping tool designed to help farmers and food businesses find resources but can also be used a tool for understanding a municipal and regional food system.
Natural Resources and Physical Conditions
- Natural Resources Atlas - geographic information about environmental features and sites that the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources manages, monitors, permits, or regulates. In addition to standard map navigation tools, this site allows you to link from sites to documents where available, generate reports, export search results, import data, search, measure, mark-up, query map features, and print PDF maps.
- Biofinder - a map and database identifying Vermont's lands and waters supporting high priority ecosystems, natural communities, habitats, and species. The most comprehensive assessment of its kind in Vermont, BioFinder was developed by the Agency of Natural Resources and partners to further our collective stewardship and conservation efforts.
Transportation
- Regional Transportation Plans - each region in Vermont has their own transportation plans, which are great places to get transportation data for your community.
Energy
- Resources for Enhanced Energy Plans - Guidance from the Public Service Department on preparing municipal energy plans that will carry greater weight in the Section 248 review process of energy generation facilities.
Cultural, Historic and Scenic Resources
- Historic Resources (Department of Housing & Community Development) - Vermont’s Division for Historic Preservation maintains a variety of useful resources to help municipalities inventory their historic & cultural assets. The Division’s Online Resource Center provides online access to all of the documents related to historic preservation activities throughout the state, searchable by municipality.
Housing
- Vermont Housing Data - the Vermont Housing Data website managed by the Vermont Housing and Finance Agency includes useful data that makes it easy for you to build a housing data profile for your community that includes trends over time at the local, county, and statewide level.
- Vermont Housing Needs Assessment - 2015-2020 State and County housing needs assessments are available for download on DCHD’s website.
Flood Resilience and Hazard Mitigation
- Flood Ready Vermont - the Agency of Natural Resources maintains this website that includes a tool that will instantly generate flood risk data, buildings in located flood hazard areas, mitigation actions and dates, and the status of Local Hazard Mitigation and Emergency Operations plans.
- Flood Training Vermont - uses engaging videos and graphics to help municipal officials understand the principles and tools for preventing local flood damage.
- Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Resource Hub - a variety of useful resources put together by the Vermont Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.
Land Use
- While there are a variety of interesting resources looking at land use and land use change out there (like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's land cover atlas), your Regional Planning Commission likely has the best data available for your municipality.
- Act 171 Guidance - Planning: A Key Step Towards Protecting Forest and Wildlife Resources will help you incorporate maps, goals, policies and actions which address forest blocks and habitat connectors into your town or regional plan.