What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chelsea has the most affordable homes ($261k median).

Reading has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.2%).

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	Chelsea	Reading
People
Population	1,223Highest	699Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.4%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+3.2%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	54.1±12.1Highest 26% above VT	51.1±7.6Lowest 19% above VT
	Chelsea and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.9%±5.2Highest VT: 17.9%	18.5%±4.2Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Chelsea and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.4%±3.5Highest VT: 21.4%	28.2%±3.3Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Chelsea and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%	46%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.4Highest VT: 7%	3.1%±2.5Lowest VT: 7%
	Chelsea and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,913±$13kLowest 19% below VT	$85,000±$19kHighest 5% above VT
	Reading and Chelsea are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$260,900±$39kLowest 18% below VT	$377,200±$72kHighest 19% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,524±$467Highest 24% above VT	$1,100±$331Lowest 11% below VT
	Chelsea and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,762Lowest 25% below VT	$5,754Highest 14% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.3%±33.2Highest VT: 48.4%	63.3%±31.7Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Chelsea and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.3%Highest VT: 10.1%	8.4%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.2%Lowest VT: 73.2%	84.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 9 yrs older than VT	1969Highest 7 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 28% above VT	33 minHighest 41% above VT
Work from home	12.6%±7.8Lowest VT: 16.9%	22.9%±10.6Highest VT: 16.9%
	Reading and Chelsea are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	First Branch Unified School District #82	Mountain Views Unified Union School District #76
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.