What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chester has the highest household income ($142k).

Kennebunk has the most people working from home (36.6%).

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	Kennebunk
People
Population	5,300Lowest	6,221Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	47.2±3.8Lowest 21% above U.S.	54.3±7.2Highest 40% above U.S.
	Kennebunk and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.6%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%	18.1%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Chester and Kennebunk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.4%±4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	30.9%±4.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	52%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.3%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Chester and Kennebunk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$142,212±$19kHighest 76% above U.S.	$95,169±$21kLowest 18% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$552,300±$42kHighest 66% above U.S.	$452,800±$17kLowest 36% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,466±$261 4% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,464Highest 171% above U.S.	$4,771Lowest 53% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	19%±72.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	40.3%±13.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Kennebunk and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	11.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1991Highest 11 yrs newer than U.S.	1980Lowest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 33% above U.S.	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	16.4%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	36.6%±10.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#90 of 120 in NH	#9 of 133 in ME
School district	Chester School District	—
High school in town	None in town	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.