What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Clarendon has the shortest commute (16 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	Clarendon
People
Population	2,992Highest	2,460Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.7%Highest VT: +2.8%	-6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	49.7±4.7Lowest 15% above VT	52.3±4.1Highest 21% above VT
	Clarendon 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%	18.6%±5.1Highest VT: 17.9%
	Clarendon 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%	27.4%±4.2Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Chester and Clarendon 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%	25.5%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±4Highest VT: 7%	1.1%±1Lowest VT: 7%
	Chester and Clarendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$62,125±$8kHighest 23% below VT	$59,609±$12kLowest 27% below VT
	Chester and Clarendon 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	$220,900±$32kLowest 30% below VT
	Chester and Clarendon 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	$1,096±$305Highest 11% below VT
	Clarendon 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	$3,740Lowest 26% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.5%±12.3Lowest VT: 48.4%	48.4%±27.1Highest VT: 48.4%
	Clarendon and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7%Highest VT: 10.1%	6%Lowest 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	1971Lowest 5 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 18% above VT	16 minLowest 33% below VT
Work from home	14%±6.9Highest VT: 16.9%	9.1%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Chester and Clarendon 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	—
School district	Green Mountain Unified School District #77	Mill River Unified Union School District #52
High school in town	Green Mountain Union High School	Mill River Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.7Lowest	9.4Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.