Vermont Vital Statistics
The Vermont Community Assessment System
The Vermont Information for Community Assessment (VICA) system is an interactive system that allows anyone to create a table of specific data from various birth and death data files for Vermont residents.
The first page in VICA allows a person to choose the variables for the table rows and columns. Some of the variables are cause of death, birth condition, year of occurrence, age, gender, race, and county of residence.
Once the basic table structure is selected, the user may easily constrain the variables to select the specific information desired. Clicking on table headers will open additional tables to show more detailed data on that category.
Age-adjusted and age-specific rates and row or column percentages may also be displayed at the user’s option. Once the data table is created, the user has the ability to download the data for use in other applications such as Microsoft Excel to produce a chart or graph
Vital Statistics
Statewide vital registration began in Vermont in 1857, when the General Assembly passed a bill requiring that towns report all births, marriages, and deaths occurring in their jurisdiction to the Secretary of State. The legislature also required periodic publication of tables from the reports.
Historically, the information contained on vital records has served as an important tool for public health officials and others by providing a picture of the general health of the population. Recognizing its importance, in 1896 the Legislature transferred responsibility for the vital statistics system to the newly formed Board of Health, the forerunner of the Vermont Department of Health. The Health Department has retained this responsibility to the present day.
Until recently, the Vermont vital statistics system monitored six types of vital events: births, deaths, marriages, divorces, fetal deaths, and abortions. With the passage of Act 91 in 2000, the establishment and dissolution of civil unions were added to the list. A civil union is a legal relationship that provides for same-sex couples in Vermont all the benefits, protections, and responsibilities under law as are granted to spouses in a marriage.