What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chester has the most people working from home (7%).

Erving has the shortest commute (28 min average).

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	Erving
People
Population	1,240Lowest	1,703Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	-7.5%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±3.7Highest 15% above MA	43.3±2.4Lowest 8% above MA
	Chester and Erving are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.1%±8.5Highest MA: 19.4%	16.3%±3.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Chester and Erving are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.5%±1.9Lowest MA: 17.9%	22.6%±2.4Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.3%Highest MA: 47.3%	24.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%	2.8%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Erving and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$89,390±$6kHighest 14% below MA	$77,656±$9kLowest 25% below MA
	Chester and Erving are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$281,900±$14kHighest 50% below MA	$271,800±$20kLowest 52% below MA
	Chester and Erving are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,104±$71Lowest 37% below MA	$1,163±$213Highest 34% below MA
	Erving and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,522Highest 25% below MA	$1,870Lowest 69% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.1%±22.6Highest MA: 51.8%	46.5%±23Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Chester and Erving are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.8%Lowest MA: 10%	5.2%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.5%Highest MA: 62.5%	81.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1951Lowest 13 yrs older than MA	1957Highest 7 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 9% above MA	28 minLowest 4% below MA
Work from home	7%±2.7Highest MA: 18.6%	3.6%±2Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Chester and Erving are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Gateway	Erving
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.