What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chester has the most affordable homes ($282k median).

Marion has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9%).

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	Marion
People
Population	1,240Lowest	5,310Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±3.7Lowest 15% above MA	53.8±4Highest 35% above MA
Kids under 18	24.1%±8.5Highest MA: 19.4%	16.7%±4.7Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Chester and Marion 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%	27.3%±5.7Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%	46.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%	7.7%±4.3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Marion 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±$6kLowest 14% below MA	$143,092±$30kHighest 38% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$281,900±$14kLowest 50% below MA	$653,500±$47kHighest 16% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,104±$71Lowest 37% below MA	$1,176±$516Highest 33% below MA
	Marion and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,522Lowest 25% below MA	$5,766Highest 4% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.1%±22.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	75.8%±26.8Highest MA: 51.8%
	Marion and Chester 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%	9%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	90.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1951Lowest 13 yrs older than MA	1962Highest 2 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 9% above MA	34 minHighest 15% above MA
Work from home	7%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	20.1%±8.3Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#141 of 282 in MA
School district	Gateway	Marion
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.