What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chester has the most affordable homes ($233k median).

Douglas has grown the fastest since 2010 (+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	Douglas
People
Population	2,992Lowest	9,207Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.7±4.7Highest 28% above U.S.	44±2.6Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Chester and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.1%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.2%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Douglas 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 U.S.: 17.2%	15.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	41.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±2.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Douglas and Chester 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 U.S.	$152,267±$10kHighest 89% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$232,900±$44kLowest 30% below U.S.	$470,600±$29kHighest 41% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$960±$44Lowest 32% below U.S.	$1,503±$697Highest 6% above U.S.
	Douglas and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,262Lowest 37% above U.S.	$6,338Highest 103% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.5%±12.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	33.9%±17.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Douglas and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	83.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.	34 minHighest 28% above U.S.
Work from home	14%±6.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	20.9%±4.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Douglas and Chester 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	#177 of 282 in MA
School district	Green Mountain Unified School District #77	Douglas
High school in town	Green Mountain Union High School	Douglas High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.7Highest	7.2Lowest
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.