Vermont
Vermont exhibits authenticity branding: dairy/maple/craft economy serves wealthy visitors while Ben & Jerry's headquarters embodies progressive commercial values.
Vermont has built economic identity around authenticity: dairy farms, craft beer, maple syrup, and Bernie Sanders represent a brand of rural progressivism that attracts both tourists and residents seeking alternative to mainstream American life. Ben & Jerry's—now owned by Unilever but still headquartered in Vermont—epitomizes this fusion of commercial success with social values.
The state's economy depends heavily on second-home owners and tourists who bring money earned elsewhere. Ski resorts employ seasonally, while summer visitors seek hiking, swimming, and the pastoral aesthetic Vermont cultivates. This creates an economy that serves wealthy outsiders while providing modest wages to locals—gentrification dynamics visible in real estate prices that Vermont residents increasingly cannot afford.
Healthcare and education provide stable year-round employment. Burlington, anchored by the University of Vermont, functions as a miniature progressive city that feels more Pacific Northwest than New England. Vermont's small population (620,000) means the state functions more like a large town than a diverse economy, with lifestyle-based economic development replacing the industrial base that once existed.