What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chester has the most people working from home (14%).

Brandon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.1%).

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	Brandon
People
Population	2,992Lowest	4,120Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+4.1%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	49.7±4.7Lowest 15% above VT	50.1±3.1Highest 16% above VT
	Brandon and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.1%±4.7Lowest VT: 17.9%	19.2%±4.3Highest VT: 17.9%
	Brandon and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.8%±7.9Highest VT: 21.4%	22.3%±4.1Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Chester and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.1%Highest VT: 43.8%	32.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±4Highest VT: 7%	2.5%±1.7Lowest VT: 7%
	Chester and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$62,125±$8kLowest 23% below VT	$64,180±$12kHighest 21% below VT
	Brandon and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$232,900±$44kHighest 26% below VT	$227,800±$23kLowest 28% below VT
	Chester and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$960±$44Lowest 22% below VT	$1,064±$225Highest 14% below VT
	Brandon and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,262Highest 15% below VT	$4,241Lowest 16% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.5%±12.3Lowest VT: 48.4%	41.7%±15.1Highest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	7%Lowest VT: 10.1%	14.2%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest VT: 73.2%	84.3%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 4 yrs older than VT	1951Lowest 25 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 18% above VT	24 minLowest about the VT average
Work from home	14%±6.9Highest VT: 16.9%	9.9%±5.7Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Chester and Brandon 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	#49 of 70 in VT	#69 of 70 in VT
School district	Green Mountain Unified School District #77	Otter Valley Unified Union School District #53
High school in town	Green Mountain Union High School	Otter Valley Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.7Lowest	9.9Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

VT 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.