What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Gorham has the most affordable homes ($162k median).

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	Gorham
People
Population	2,992Highest	2,682Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-5.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.7±4.7Lowest 28% above U.S.	53.9±3.6Highest 39% above U.S.
	Gorham and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.1%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%	12.5%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Chester and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.8%±7.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	31.7%±6.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Gorham and Chester 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 U.S.: 35.7%	20.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.7%±2.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Gorham 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±$8kHighest 23% below U.S.	$61,275±$7kLowest 24% below U.S.
	Chester and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$232,900±$44kHighest 30% below U.S.	$161,600±$49kLowest 51% below U.S.
	Chester and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$960±$44Highest 32% below U.S.	$838±$83Lowest 41% below U.S.
	Chester and Gorham 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.	$4,334Highest 39% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.5%±12.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41%±20.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Gorham 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%	4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	71.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	14%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	1.7%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#49 of 70 in VT	#57 of 120 in NH
School district	Green Mountain Unified School District #77	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District
High school in town	Green Mountain Union High School	Gorham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.7Lowest	9.0Highest
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.