Burlington Rent, Income, and Commute: The Real Numbers

Burlington's mean commute is 15.1 minutes one way (ACS 2024), among the shortest in this series, but the number that actually sets it apart is the one next to it. Only 45.6% of Burlington workers drive to their jobs alone, the lowest solo-driving share of any city we track, in a state most people picture as rural and car-bound. More than half the city's commuters get to work some other way.

That "other way" is genuinely diverse for a small city. Burlington bikes at 6.8%, the highest bike share anywhere in this series, walks at 4.9%, rides transit at 5.3% on the local bus network, and works from home at 19%. No single alternative dominates. The city just spreads its commute across every mode at once, which is what you'd expect from a compact college town wrapped around the University of Vermont, hemmed against Lake Champlain, with a walkable core anchored by the Church Street Marketplace and a real network of bike paths along the waterfront.

The scale is the enabling condition. Burlington is small enough that the university, the hospital, the downtown offices, and the neighborhoods all sit within a couple of flat, lakeside miles, so walking or biking to work isn't an act of endurance, it's often the fastest option. The median commuter is at work in 16 minutes, and even a bad day at the 90th percentile runs just 35 minutes, a figure that owes more to a Vermont snowstorm than to any traffic.

The remote-work share deserves its own mention at 19%, well above the national trend, because it reflects the same wave of professionals who moved to Vermont for the quality of life and kept their jobs elsewhere. Combined with the walking and biking, it means a large share of Burlington's workforce either skips the commute entirely or covers it under their own power. That's a rare thing anywhere, and close to unheard of in a city this small.

For anyone weighing Vermont, Burlington offers something the data makes plain: a genuinely car-optional daily life at a scale where most of the country assumes you'd need two vehicles. The winters are real and the job market is small, the same two caveats that run through every Vermont number. But on the specific question of how you get to work, Burlington quietly outperforms cities many times its size. These are ACS 2024 figures, current rather than the older Census snapshots most Vermont relocation pieces recycle, and they describe a city that commutes like its reputation for doing things its own way is fully earned.

Burlington's commute data contains the most distinctive number in our Vermont profile: only 45.6% of residents drive alone to work. That figure is the lowest drive-alone rate we track in any city outside of major urban cores, and for retirees, it signals something important about how the city is built and how life unfolds within it.

The alternatives to solo driving break down like this: 19% work from home, 6.8% bike, 5.3% take transit, 4.9% walk, and 7.7% carpool. Each of these numbers matters independently. The 6.8% bike rate is the highest among all cities we track, higher than Portland, Maine (4.4%), Salt Lake City (2%), or any Florida metro (all below 1.5%). The 4.9% walk rate and 5.3% transit rate indicate a city where getting around without a car isn't just possible during good weather. It's a year-round pattern for a meaningful share of residents.

For retirees, this mobility mix carries long-term significance. The ability to age in a place where you can bike to the co-op, walk to a pharmacy, or take a bus to a medical appointment matters more as the years progress. Many retirees eventually face the question of whether to give up driving (voluntarily or not) and Burlington's built environment provides more options for that transition than most small cities in the country.

The 19% remote work rate reflects Burlington's economic character: UVM, medical research, tech startups, and creative industries support a work culture where remote arrangements are normalized. For semi-retired retirees who maintain consulting, freelance, or part-time remote income, Burlington's infrastructure and social norms support that model without requiring a dedicated office or a commute to an employer.

Burlington's 3.1% super-commuter rate is low, matching Portland, Maine, exactly. This confirms what the short mean commute suggests: Burlington is a compact metro where life happens within a tight geographic radius. Medical appointments, grocery runs, dining, and cultural events are all close by. The absence of sprawl means less time in the car, less traffic stress, and a daily rhythm that rewards proximity over automobile access.

The seasonal question matters here just as it does in Maine. Burlington winters bring genuine cold, significant snow, and a contraction in the biking and walking that defines the warmer months. The city handles winter well, plowing, sanding, and winter-cycling infrastructure exist, but retirees with arthritis, balance concerns, or cold sensitivity need to evaluate whether four to five months of restricted outdoor mobility is acceptable. Some retirees solve this with a snowbird model: Burlington in summer, somewhere warmer in winter. That only works with a housing arrangement (ownership or a generous lease) that accommodates the absence.

Burlington works best for retirees who: prioritize safety near the top of their list, want a city where not driving feels normal rather than limiting, value outdoor access and a quieter cultural pace, and have household income or savings that support $1,649/month rent without strain. The combination of 62/94 crime indices, 45.6% non-driving commute share, and 15.1-minute mean travel times creates a daily rhythm that genuinely feels easier, if you can afford it and tolerate the winters.

Who should look elsewhere: retirees on fixed income below $3,500/month will find Burlington's rent consuming too much budget. Anyone who needs warm weather year-round should not consider Vermont. Retirees who want access to a major medical center with broad specialist networks may find Burlington's UVM Medical Center solid but limited compared to what Boston, Portland (Maine's network extends to MaineHealth), or Florida's large hospital systems offer. And anyone who wants urban scale, nightlife, diverse dining, large cultural institutions, will find Burlington too small.

Browse the Burlington city card below for the full rent, crime, commute mode, and composite score breakdown.