Nearly one in four Vermonters is 65 or older. But opinions are split over whether the state is a good place to retire or grow old, according to a new Vermont Public poll.
Of the 817 people surveyed, 43% said Vermont was not a good place to age or be retired, while 42% said it was. Another 15% were not sure.
See all the results from the Vermont Public 2026 Poll
For John Biczko, 79, of Rutland, the question brought up mixed feelings.
“I love Vermont. I was born and raised here,” Biczko said. “But the cost of living is very high.”
Biczko said medical bills from his and his late wife’s cancer treatments ate into their savings. He now relies on Social Security, food stamps and a federally subsidized one-bedroom apartment.
“I’m thankful for all the help,” Biczko said. “But it’s a very high-taxed state, and I have a lot of friends who feel trapped here.”
Greg Farkas, 57, of Essex, tied the question of aging in Vermont to his aging parents who live in Florida.
“I moved away from Florida when I was in my 20s, and I was hoping they would come here. But it’s unlikely,” Farkas said, noting his parents pay much lower property taxes in Florida, and have easier access to doctors and specialists. “I just know from my own experience, to see a specialist, it takes a long time to get in up here. So, no, Vermont's a tough place to age.”
Respondents approaching retirement age, like Farkas, were least enthusiastic about their future prospects in Vermont, with more than half saying the state is not a good place to age and just 31% saying it is. While adults younger than 45 and senior citizens themselves were more likely to respond favorably.
For Liz Zundel, 67, of Barre, there’s nowhere else she’d want to be. She cited Vermont’s landscape, social acceptance and nonmaterialistic culture as reasons she wants to grow old here.
“I mean you can't drive anywhere without looking around and seeing beauty, and I have such a good, caring, helpful network of friends,” she said.
Zundel said she has lupus and other health problems and relies entirely on Social Security for income. “I’m really having to learn how to budget,” she said. “But it’s tough everywhere, and I rent, so I’m not impacted by property taxes.”
According to the poll, residents in northern Vermont besides Chittenden County were most likely to say the state was not a good place to grow old. Jayne McDonald, 68, of Hyde Park, is one of the naysayers. She works as a registered nurse at an assisted living and skilled nursing facility in Morrisville.
"It’s unfortunate that we live in such a beautiful place that doesn’t have the services for the elderly here."Jayne McDonald, Hyde Park resident
McDonald said long-term care facilities, agencies that provide home health aides, and hospitals are all struggling with staffing shortages and rising costs. That’s making it harder for people to age in place and get the care they need, she said.
“So it’s unfortunate that we live in such a beautiful place that doesn’t have the services for the elderly here,” McDonald said. “I know Burlington has more services. I know that more urban areas have more services, but we’re pretty rural, so that’s a challenge.”
McDonald is divorced, has three grown children and said she can’t afford to retire. “For the first time in my life, I’ve had to take on a tenant to help cover property taxes,” McDonald said. “She’s a teacher, she’s lovely, and it’s helpful. But I’m sharing my space.”
Still, when asked if she wished she lived somewhere else, McDonald said no.
“I like the atmosphere in Vermont. Here you can call a neighbor, you can call a friend. I had a tree come down in my driveway, and I had three people around me saying, ‘Let me help.’ That has value.”
