STD Rates in Vermont
CDC surveillance data for Vermont covering chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV — with 15-year trends, state comparisons, and national context.
Vermont has the lowest combined STD rate in the country. In 2023, the state ranked 50th out of 50, with a combined rate of 236.4 cases per 100,000 people — less than half the national median of 638.3. For a small, rural state of about 647,000 people, that translates to roughly 1,530 total diagnoses across chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. But one number inside that picture doesn't match the rest: gonorrhea has risen nearly 470% since 2008, and it jumped another 26% in a single year.
Chlamydia is Vermont's most common STD by volume — 1,307 cases in 2023, a rate of 201.9 per 100,000. That's less than half the national median of 471.3. The long-run story is surprisingly flat: the rate was 191.6 in 2008 and sits at 201.9 today, a gain of just over 5% across 15 years. There was a real peak around 2014, when the rate hit 357.8, followed by a gradual retreat. The 2023 number is only a modest recovery from pandemic-era lows, up about 2% from 2022.
Gonorrhea is where Vermont's otherwise calm picture gets complicated. The rate stood at 6.0 per 100,000 in 2008. By 2023, it was 34.0 — still well below the national median of 152.2, but the trajectory is hard to ignore. After dipping during the pandemic years, it climbed back to 26.9 in 2022 and then surged to 34.0 in 2023, a 26.4% increase in one year. Syphilis, by contrast, tells almost the opposite story: just 3 cases in 2023, a rate of 0.5 per 100,000 against a national median of 14.8. It has stayed near zero for years.
HIV diagnoses in Vermont have been trending down over the available data window, from 20 cases in 2017 to just 3 in 2022 — though that 2022 number likely reflects testing access disruptions as much as true transmission change. Vermont's STD numbers are low by any national measure, but low rates don't mean no risk, and asymptomatic infections don't announce themselves. If you're sexually active and haven't been tested recently, testing sites in Burlington, South Burlington, and Rutland can get you an answer quickly.
STD Trends in Vermont
Vermont's chlamydia rate of 201.9 per 100,000 is less than half the national median of 471.3 — one of the lowest in the country. What's notable isn't the current level but the long plateau: after peaking near 358 in 2014, rates fell sharply and have barely moved in the last three years. The 2023 figure is only 5.4% above where the state stood in 2008, suggesting the trend has been largely flat over the long run rather than building.
Gonorrhea is Vermont's sharpest trend line. The rate has risen 467% since 2008, from 6.0 to 34.0 per 100,000 — and after modest pandemic-era declines, it jumped 26.4% between 2022 and 2023 alone. Even so, Vermont's rate remains far below the national median of 152.2, which means the trend matters more here than the absolute number: a low base rising quickly is worth watching.
Vermont's syphilis situation is genuinely unusual — just 3 cases in all of 2023, producing a rate of 0.5 per 100,000 against a national median of 14.8. The state has hovered near zero for most of the past decade, with occasional single-year spikes that quickly recede. There was no year-over-year change between 2022 and 2023, and the long-run trend is down roughly 72% from its 2008 baseline.
Vermont's HIV data runs through 2022 only, so the most recent year is a partial picture. Within that window, new diagnoses fell from 20 in 2017 to a low of 3 in 2022 — a rate of just 0.5 per 100,000. The drop in 2020 likely reflects reduced testing access during the pandemic rather than a true shift in transmission, and the low 2022 figure should be read with similar caution.
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Vermont vs National Average
Comparing 2023 rates against the U.S. median across all 50 states.
| Infection | Vermont | US Median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 201.9 | 471.3 | 57.2% below |
| Gonorrhea | 34 | 152.2 | 77.7% below |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 0.5 | 14.8 | 96.6% below |
What the numbers mean — and what to do about them
Vermont's combined STD rate of 236.4 per 100,000 is the lowest in the country — and in raw terms, that means about 1,530 Vermonters were diagnosed with chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis in 2023. For a state of 647,000 people, that's a modest number. But low rates are a population-level average, not a personal guarantee, and Vermont's gonorrhea trend over the past 15 years is a reminder that even quiet states can have something worth paying attention to.
Gonorrhea is the trend that matters most in Vermont's data right now. The rate has risen nearly 470% since 2008 and accelerated again in 2023, up 26% in a single year. What makes that clinically relevant is that gonorrhea often produces no symptoms at all — particularly in women and in rectal or throat infections. That means the 220 diagnosed cases in 2023 represent people who got tested; the number who carried an undetected infection is harder to count. Chlamydia works the same way. Vermont's chlamydia rate has been essentially flat for years, but flat reported rates don't mean flat transmission — they can reflect testing patterns as much as actual disease burden.
If you live in Vermont and you're sexually active, the state's ranking doesn't tell you much about your individual risk. Testing in Burlington, South Burlington, and Rutland is accessible and routine — most results come back within a few days, and the process is straightforward. Vermont's gonorrhea rate has nearly quintupled since 2008 without most people in the state noticing. STDTest.com can show you where to get tested today.
WHO SHOULD GET TESTED
Anyone sexually active in Vermont should consider routine testing, particularly given the steady rise in gonorrhea over the past decade. People under 25 account for a disproportionate share of chlamydia diagnoses nationally, and that pattern holds in lower-rate states too. Men who have sex with men face elevated gonorrhea risk even in states with Vermont's overall profile.
HOW OFTEN
Once a year is a reasonable baseline for sexually active adults in Vermont. Given the gonorrhea trend — up 26% in 2023 after years of gradual increase — testing every three to six months makes sense if you have new or multiple partners. Vermont's low overall rates don't reduce the case for regular testing; they just mean most results will come back negative.
WHAT TO EXPECT
A standard STD test in Vermont typically involves a urine sample, a swab, or a blood draw depending on what's being tested. Most panels screen for chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV. Results usually return within a few days, and many clinics in Burlington, South Burlington, and Rutland offer confidential or anonymous testing options.
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