What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chester has the most kids (17.5% under 18).

Sharon has the most expensive homes ($591k 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	Chester	Sharon
People
Population	3,825Highest	2,723Lowest
Median age	54±3.4Lowest 31% above CT	59.5±6Highest 45% above CT
	Sharon and Chester 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%	7.2%±3.2Lowest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	26.8%±4Lowest CT: 18.5%	37.9%±9.3Highest CT: 18.5%
	Sharon and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%	56.8%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±2.9Highest CT: 7.1%	3.5%±2.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Chester and Sharon 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	$100,518±$15kLowest 5% above CT
	Chester and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$442,200±$25kLowest 21% above CT	$590,700±$156kHighest 61% above CT
	Sharon and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,549±$247Lowest 4% above CT	$1,750±$1kHighest 18% above CT
	Sharon and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,364Highest 4% below CT	$4,484Lowest 33% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.4%±22.1Lowest CT: 52.6%	64%±16.2Highest CT: 52.6%
	Sharon 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%	10.8%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.2%Highest CT: 66.5%	72.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Highest 2 yrs newer than CT	1954Lowest 13 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 7% above CT	30 minHighest 13% above CT
Work from home	18.3%±5.6Lowest CT: 16%	18.7%±6.8Highest CT: 16%
	Sharon 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	#8 of 149 in CT	—
School district	Chester School District	Sharon School District
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.