What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chester has the most people working from home (18.3%).

Middlefield has the most homeowners (86.5%).

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	Chester	Middlefield
People
Population	3,825Lowest	4,243Highest
Median age	54±3.4Highest 31% above CT	51.6±1.9Lowest 26% above CT
	Chester and Middlefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.5%±4.9Highest CT: 20.2%	13.9%±4.1Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Chester and Middlefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.8%±4Highest CT: 18.5%	25.5%±7.2Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Chester and Middlefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.9%Highest CT: 42.5%	41.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±2.9Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.7%±2.4Highest CT: 7.1%
	Middlefield and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$109,191±$18kHighest 14% above CT	$99,837±$20kLowest 4% above CT
	Chester and Middlefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$442,200±$25kHighest 21% above CT	$376,000±$27kLowest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,549±$247Lowest 4% above CT	$3,501Highest 135% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,364Lowest 4% below CT	$6,853Highest 3% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.4%±22.1Lowest CT: 52.6%	85.4%±52.1Highest CT: 52.6%
	Middlefield and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.8%Highest CT: 10%	8.1%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%	86.5%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Highest 2 yrs newer than CT	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 7% above CT	25 minLowest 6% below CT
Work from home	18.3%±5.6Highest CT: 16%	10.9%±4.1Lowest CT: 16%
	Chester and Middlefield 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	#8 of 149 in CT	#65 of 149 in CT
School district	Chester School District	Regional School District 13
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

CT 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.