Pinched by a strained economy, Vermont businesses are raising prices, forgoing expansion and dabbling in artificial intelligence, a new survey by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce found.
More than 40% of surveyed companies rated the current business climate in Vermont as poor or very poor.
Negative feelings spiked significantly from a year ago, according to the survey of 135 businesses across the state.
Though the survey lacks the statistical rigor of a scientific poll, it offers a snapshot of what’s on business owners’ minds, the advocacy group said.
Healthcare surpassed workforce and housing shortages as the most frequent pain point for Vermont businesses in 2026, according to the survey. Inflation and taxes rounded out the top five complaints.
As a result, half of businesses said they raised prices this year. One-third of businesses said they delayed hiring or left positions unfilled, and about one in four said they delayed a capital investment.
Just 10% said they expanded or invested in their business in Vermont.
The mood was most glum in accommodations and food service, where nearly half of those surveyed said business declined in the last year.
Businesses who responded to the survey expressed many of the same concerns as affordability-minded residents, Kevin Chu, executive director of the Chamber’s pro-growth Vermont Futures Project, said.
“There's alignment between the business community and citizens,” he said.
Vermont business owners aren’t enthusiastic about the icy relations between the U.S. and Canada, either. Fewer than 2% described federal tariffs and cross-border tension as having a positive effect on their business.
As money is tight and workers are hard to come by, businesses are turning to AI.
More than 75% of those surveyed reported using AI, mostly in limited ways or in pilot projects. Only 15% said they have no plans to use the technology.
Chu said companies appear to be trying out AI tools to weigh their benefits and risks.
“It’s that early-stage experimentation to see whether it’s the right fit,” he said.
