Have you ever wondered which U.S. states resemble countries more closely than others? The Country – US State Comparisons are designed to quantify just that — measuring how similar each U.S. state is to different countries around the world relative to the United States. This index provides a data-driven way to make those comparisons. It equally weights five major factors: demographics, culture, politics, technology, and geography. Over 1,000 different data points are used to generate the results.
Top 10 Countries More Similar to Vermont than the US
Four of the five countries that resemble Vermont much more than the United States are located in the eastern part of Europe. Like Vermont, these countries have relatively cold climates. They also have aging populations.
- Lithuania, like Vermont, has a continental climate with cold winters and mild summers. Most of their land is covered by deciduous forests. Both have low homicide rates but relatively high rates of suicide. They have high minimum wages but also high taxes. However, Lithuania has a much higher percentage of females.
- Latvia is located to the north of Lithuania. It features many beautiful forests, rivers, and lakes, much like Vermont. In fact, much of the electricity in Vermont and Latvia comes from hydropower. Both have a mix of Catholics and Protestants, although neither are especially religious.
- Czechia is another Eastern European country that shares several traits with New Hampshire. Both have a large percentage of their people identify as non-religious. Their populations are aging as well. In addition, Vermont and Czechia are landlocked. They also have relatively few gun restrictions.
- Luxembourg is the only Western European country in the top five, but it still has many similarities to Vermont. Both allow same sex marriage and also marriage to first cousins. Their governments have a lot of laws protecting their workers. In fact, both have high minimum wages. They have little military infrastructure as well.
- Slovakia and Vermont share mountainous geography and a relatively cold climate. Both regions rely on tourism, while still retaining strong rural traditions. Ice hockey is especially popular in Slovakia and Vermont too. They are less urbanized than the U.S., with only a few mid-sized cities.
- Estonia, 7. Moldova, 8. Slovenia, 9. Sweden, 10. Belgium
Top 10 Countries Less Similar to Vermont than the US
Interestingly enough, all five countries with significantly fewer similarities to Vermont than the United States overall are located in Asia, albeit in different regions. Four of the five are predominately Muslim, so they have more conservative laws.
- United Arab Emirates is in many ways the opposite of Vermont. It has a hot desert climate and barren landscape. In addition, most of the people that live in UAE are immigrant workers. This has made UAE’s population much younger than Vermont’s.
- Qatar is another country that borders the Persian Gulf. It is much more densely populated than Vermont. Furthermore, its citizens are wealthier. Vermont lacks skyscrapers, but Qatar as many newly built ones.
- Malaysia is located in Southeast Asia. While both are densely forested, Malaysia has a much hotter climate. The country also has a more diverse population than Vermont with a mix of Malay, Chinese, and Indian populations.
- China is much more geographically diverse than Vermont, since it has deserts, mountains, tropics, and Arctic-like areas. High-speed rail, megacities, vast manufacturing hubs contrast with Vermont’s small-scale infrastructure and rural environment.
- Bahrain is a predominately Muslim country. It is located on an island in the Persian Gulf. Like UAE and Qatar, its climate is hot and arid, in contrast to Vermont. Furthermore, its laws are much more conservative than Vermont’s.
- Thailand, 7. Kuwait, 8. Turkey, 9. Singapore, 10. Mexico
Full Ranking of Countries and Territories More Similar to Vermont than the US
All data accurate as of 2025.