What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barre has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.4%).

Chester has the most affordable homes ($233k median).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Barre	Chester
People
Population	5,572Highest	2,992Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.8±8.5Lowest 13% above U.S.	49.7±4.7Highest 28% above U.S.
	Chester and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.8%±5.4Highest U.S.: 22%	14.1%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Barre and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29.8%±7.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Chester and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	33.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Barre and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$107,727±$13kHighest 33% above U.S.	$62,125±$8kLowest 23% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$394,300±$55kHighest 19% above U.S.	$232,900±$44kLowest 30% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,030±$713Highest 27% below U.S.	$960±$44Lowest 32% below U.S.
	Barre and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,163Highest 66% above U.S.	$4,262Lowest 37% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.2%±27.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	11.5%±12.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Barre and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 37% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	11.2%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Chester and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#134 of 282 in MA	#49 of 70 in VT
School district	Quabbin	Green Mountain Unified School District #77
High school in town	Quabbin Regional High School	Green Mountain Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Highest	8.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.