diff --git a/framework/include/base/FEProblemBase.h b/framework/include/base/FEProblemBase.h
index ba7ab5ae57a5..b8be70cdc0b8 100644
--- a/framework/include/base/FEProblemBase.h
+++ b/framework/include/base/FEProblemBase.h
@@ -753,7 +753,7 @@ class FEProblemBase : public SubProblem, public Restartable
    * Get the vectors for a specific VectorPostprocessor.
    * @param vpp_name The name of the VectorPostprocessor
    */
-  const std::map<std::string, VectorPostprocessorData::VectorPostprocessorState> &
+  const std::vector<std::pair<std::string, VectorPostprocessorData::VectorPostprocessorState>> &
   getVectorPostprocessorVectors(const std::string & vpp_name);
 
   // Dampers /////
diff --git a/framework/include/vectorpostprocessors/VectorPostprocessorData.h b/framework/include/vectorpostprocessors/VectorPostprocessorData.h
index 7fa4f80c14ce..a3c73dc0d543 100644
--- a/framework/include/vectorpostprocessors/VectorPostprocessorData.h
+++ b/framework/include/vectorpostprocessors/VectorPostprocessorData.h
@@ -71,12 +71,6 @@ class VectorPostprocessorData : public Restartable
   getVectorPostprocessorValueOld(const VectorPostprocessorName & vpp_name,
                                  const std::string & vector_name);
 
-  /**
-   * Get the map of names -> VectorPostprocessor values. Exposed for error checking.
-   */
-  //  const std::map<std::string, std::map<std::string, VectorPostprocessorValue*> > & values()
-  //  const { return _values; }
-
   /**
    * Check to see if a VPP has any vectors at all
    */
@@ -86,7 +80,7 @@ class VectorPostprocessorData : public Restartable
    * Get the map of vectors for a particular VectorPostprocessor
    * @param vpp_name The name of the VectorPostprocessor
    */
-  const std::map<std::string, VectorPostprocessorState> &
+  const std::vector<std::pair<std::string, VectorPostprocessorState>> &
   vectors(const std::string & vpp_name) const;
 
   /**
@@ -100,7 +94,7 @@ class VectorPostprocessorData : public Restartable
                                                           bool get_current);
 
   /// Values of the vector post-processor
-  std::map<std::string, std::map<std::string, VectorPostprocessorState>> _values;
+  std::map<std::string, std::vector<std::pair<std::string, VectorPostprocessorState>>> _values;
 
   std::set<std::string> _requested_items;
   std::set<std::string> _supplied_items;
diff --git a/framework/src/base/FEProblemBase.C b/framework/src/base/FEProblemBase.C
index 6757d4eaea9e..c030a65b86cf 100644
--- a/framework/src/base/FEProblemBase.C
+++ b/framework/src/base/FEProblemBase.C
@@ -2569,7 +2569,7 @@ FEProblemBase::declareVectorPostprocessorVector(const VectorPostprocessorName &
   return _vpps_data.declareVector(name, vector_name);
 }
 
-const std::map<std::string, VectorPostprocessorData::VectorPostprocessorState> &
+const std::vector<std::pair<std::string, VectorPostprocessorData::VectorPostprocessorState>> &
 FEProblemBase::getVectorPostprocessorVectors(const std::string & vpp_name)
 {
   return _vpps_data.vectors(vpp_name);
diff --git a/framework/src/vectorpostprocessors/VectorPostprocessorData.C b/framework/src/vectorpostprocessors/VectorPostprocessorData.C
index 6260055d7ed6..1547c55b1933 100644
--- a/framework/src/vectorpostprocessors/VectorPostprocessorData.C
+++ b/framework/src/vectorpostprocessors/VectorPostprocessorData.C
@@ -58,9 +58,24 @@ VectorPostprocessorData::getVectorPostprocessorHelper(const VectorPostprocessorN
                                                       const std::string & vector_name,
                                                       bool get_current)
 {
-  // Intentional use of RHS brackets on a std::map to do a multilevel retrieve or insert
-  auto & vec_struct = _values[vpp_name][vector_name];
+  // Intentional use of RHS brackets on a std::map to do a retrieve or insert
+  auto & vec_storage = _values[vpp_name];
 
+  // lambda for doing compairison on name (i.e., first item in pair)
+  auto comp = [&vector_name](std::pair<std::string, VectorPostprocessorState> & pair) {
+    return pair.first == vector_name;
+  };
+
+  // Search for the vector, if it is not located create the entry in the storage
+  auto iter = std::find_if(vec_storage.begin(), vec_storage.end(), comp);
+  if (iter == vec_storage.end())
+  {
+    vec_storage.emplace_back(
+        std::pair<std::string, VectorPostprocessorState>(vector_name, VectorPostprocessorState()));
+    iter = vec_storage.end() - 1; // can't use rbegin() because we need a forward iterator
+  }
+
+  auto & vec_struct = iter->second;
   if (!vec_struct.current)
   {
     mooseAssert(!vec_struct.old, "Uninitialized pointers in VectorPostprocessor Data");
@@ -79,7 +94,7 @@ VectorPostprocessorData::hasVectors(const std::string & vpp_name) const
   return _values.find(vpp_name) != _values.end();
 }
 
-const std::map<std::string, VectorPostprocessorData::VectorPostprocessorState> &
+const std::vector<std::pair<std::string, VectorPostprocessorData::VectorPostprocessorState>> &
 VectorPostprocessorData::vectors(const std::string & vpp_name) const
 {
   auto vec_pair = _values.find(vpp_name);