2026 Business Climate Survey
Help Shape Vermont’s Economic Future
The 2026 Vermont Business Climate Survey gives employers across the state an opportunity to share the conditions affecting hiring, investment, expansion, pricing, and growth.
Whether conditions are improving, worsening, or simply changing for your business, we want to hear from you.
The statewide survey takes approximately five minutes to complete. Your input will help the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and Vermont Futures Project move from anecdote to evidence and ensure that statewide priorities reflect the realities facing Vermont businesses.
SURVEY AT A GLANCE
Vermont employers and business leaders from every industry, business size, and region.
Approximately five minutes
Business performance, costs, workforce, housing, healthcare, taxes, regulation, investment, technology, and economic confidence.
To inform advocacy, the 2027 legislative agenda, economic research, and the Vermont Economic Action Plan.
The survey deadline is October 15, 2026.
YOUR EXPERIENCE SHOULD INFORM VERMONT POLICY
Vermont businesses understand the opportunities and challenges of operating here better than anyone. As employers navigate changing costs, workforce availability, housing constraints, healthcare pressures, taxes, regulation, and emerging technology, policymakers need a clear understanding of how these conditions affect real business decisions.
The annual Business Climate Survey captures those experiences directly from employers. The results help the Vermont Chamber develop a member-driven, data-informed policy agenda and bring credible statewide evidence into conversations with policymakers.
The 2026 survey asks Vermont employers about:
- Current business performance and expectations
- Workforce recruitment and retention
- Housing and healthcare pressures
- Business costs and pricing decisions
- Tax burden and policy predictability
- Vermont’s regulatory environment
- Investment and expansion plans
- Technology and artificial intelligence adoption
- Confidence in Vermont’s economic direction
- Whether employers feel heard in Montpelier
The Vermont Chamber will use the findings to:
- Develop its 2027 legislative agenda
- Bring real employer experiences into policy discussions
- Identify barriers affecting hiring, investment, and business growth
- Strengthen advocacy on affordability and competitiveness
- Track changes in Vermont’s business climate over time
- Advance practical solutions through the Vermont Economic Action Plan
The survey connects planning, policy, and action. It is one of the tools the Chamber uses to ensure that its advocacy reflects the experiences of businesses across Vermont.
MAKE YOUR VOICE COUNT
The Vermont Chamber represents businesses of every size and industry across the state. Broad participation will provide policymakers with a credible picture of the conditions Vermont employers are experiencing.
The survey takes approximately five minutes. Please respond by October 15, 2026.
WHAT DID VERMONT EMPLOYERS REPORT IN 2025?
The 2025 Vermont Business Climate Survey gathered insights from 139 employers across all 14 counties. Respondents rated Vermont’s overall business climate 2.86 out of 5 and identified persistent concerns related to workforce availability, housing, healthcare costs, taxation, regulation, and economic predictability.
Those findings informed the Vermont Chamber’s advocacy and helped bring employer experiences into the 2026 legislative conversation.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The survey is intended for Vermont employers and business leaders across every industry, business size, and region of the state. Vermont Chamber membership is not required.
The 2026 Vermont Business Climate Survey takes approximately five minutes to complete.
The survey helps the Vermont Chamber understand the conditions employers are experiencing and develop data informed advocacy and policy priorities.
Combined survey findings will help shape the Chamber’s 2027 legislative agenda and inform conversations with policymakers about Vermont’s economy, affordability, workforce, and business competitiveness.
The Business Climate Survey is conducted by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and Vermont Futures Project.