Orleans County is one of the four northernmost counties in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2010 census, the population was 27,231. Its shire town (county seat) is Newport. The county was created in 1792 and organized in 1799. As in the rest of New England, few governmental powers have been granted to the county. The county is an expedient way of grouping and distributing state-controlled governmental services.