Home Care in Vermont: Top-Rated In-Home Care Agencies by City

Aging at home in Vermont

Vermont has the highest share of older residents in this group, at 24.1 percent aged 65 or older, and the state's geography makes that count felt in daily life. Burlington, South Burlington and the Champlain Valley hold the largest concentration of households and caregivers, while Rutland, Montpelier, Barre, Bennington and Brattleboro serve as regional hubs for smaller towns. Beyond those hubs, older Vermonters often live in hill towns and in the Northeast Kingdom, where homes sit well apart and the nearest agency office may be a long drive away. Families should expect the practical question to be who can reach the house, not just who is licensed.

24.1% of Vermont residents are 65 or older. Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, July 1, 2025 estimate (V2025).

Cities, towns and neighborhoods we cover

A parent in Burlington's Old North End or Hill Section may have a caregiver within a short drive, while one in the South End or the New North End is closer to the lake and its winter wind. South Burlington families on the Shelburne Road corridor or near Dorset Park have easy highway access. Further south, Rutland's Downtown Historic District and Merchants' Row sit along the Route 4 and 7 corridor toward Killington. Montpelier, home of the Vermont State House, and neighboring Barre serve central Vermont, while Bennington and Brattleboro anchor the south, and Newport sits near the Northeast Kingdom and Lake Willoughby.

• Burlington: Old North End, South End, Hill Section, New North End, Five Sisters
• South Burlington: City Center, South End, Dorset Park, Shelburne Road corridor
• Rutland: Downtown Historic District, Merchants' Row, Main Street corridor

Regions

• Northeast Kingdom: rural northeastern section that often averages about 10F colder than southern Vermont in winter
• Champlain Valley: fertile northwestern area along Lake Champlain
• Connecticut River Valley: defines much of the eastern border with New Hampshire
• Green Mountains: north-south range running most of the state's length
• Taconic Mountains: range in the southwest

Familiar places

Vermont State House, Montpelier; Church Street Marketplace, Burlington; Lake Champlain, Burlington waterfront; Mount Mansfield, the state's highest mountain; Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, Woodstock; Pine Hill Park, Rutland; Lake Willoughby, Northeast Kingdom.

Planning care around Vermont's seasons and geography

Vermont seasons are distinct enough that they belong in any care plan. Snowfall runs 60 to 100 inches a year depending on elevation, and the Northeast Kingdom often runs about 10F colder than the south, so ask how an agency handles storm days and whether it assigns caregivers who live close to the client. Spring brings mud, which can affect rural driveways and dirt roads, and the autumn foliage season fills lodging and roads around destinations like Woodstock and Lake Willoughby. Set a clear backup caregiver and a plan for who calls whom when a road closes.

• Vermont's annual snowfall ranges from 60 to 100 inches depending on elevation, and winters are colder at higher elevations, so winter travel to hill-town homes is a routine scheduling issue.
• The Northeast Kingdom often averages about 10F colder than southern Vermont in winter.
• The Wikipedia state article describes muddy springs, which is a common planning point for driveways and dirt roads in the spring thaw.
• The Green Mountains run most of the state's length, so travel between the Champlain Valley and the Connecticut River Valley crosses mountainous terrain.

Vermont resources for families

• Licensing. Vermont does not appear to separately license non-medical home care, while agencies that enroll as Choices for Care providers must be certified by DAIL's Adult Services Division. Confirm directly with DAIL.
• Aging services. Use the Adult Services Division site and its contact page, or the Vermont Association of Area Agencies on Aging (V4A, vermont4a.org), to reach the Area Agency on Aging serving your town. Vermont Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living (DAIL), Adult Services Division
• Help paying. Vermont's Medicaid home and community-based program for older adults is Choices for Care (Vermont's long-term care Medicaid program). Eligibility is based on income and care needs.