What stands out worked out from the figures below

Charleston has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.2%).

Chester has the highest household income ($62k).

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	Charleston	Chester
People
Population	936Lowest	2,992Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.2%Highest VT: +2.8%	-4.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	58.4±9.3Highest 35% above VT	49.7±4.7Lowest 15% above VT
	Charleston and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.2%±4.2Lowest VT: 17.9%	14.1%±4.7Highest VT: 17.9%
	Chester and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	37.7%±8.6Highest VT: 21.4%	29.8%±7.9Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Charleston and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	13.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%	33.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±2.3Lowest VT: 7%	5.1%±4Highest VT: 7%
	Chester and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$49,286±$17kLowest 39% below VT	$62,125±$8kHighest 23% below VT
	Chester and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$238,000±$53kHighest 25% below VT	$232,900±$44kLowest 26% below VT
	Charleston and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$979±$444Highest 21% below VT	$960±$44Lowest 22% below VT
	Charleston and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,750Lowest 26% below VT	$4,262Highest 15% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.7%±26.4Highest VT: 48.4%	11.5%±12.3Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Charleston and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.3%Highest VT: 10.1%	7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.1%Highest VT: 73.2%	86.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 4 yrs newer than VT	1972Lowest 4 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 12% above VT	28 minHighest 18% above VT
Work from home	18.7%±7.1Highest VT: 16.9%	14%±6.9Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Charleston and Chester 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	—	#49 of 70 in VT
School district	Charleston School District	Green Mountain Unified School District #77
High school in town	None in town	Green Mountain Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	8.7
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

VT 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.