What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Hampton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.1%).

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	Hampton
People
Population	2,992Lowest	16,426Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.7±4.7Lowest 28% above U.S.	55.8±2.1Highest 43% above U.S.
	Hampton 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%	11.6%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Chester and Hampton 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%	30.9%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hampton 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%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	42.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.1%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Chester and Hampton 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.	$95,233±$9kHighest 18% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$232,900±$44kLowest 30% below U.S.	$550,200±$39kHighest 65% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$960±$44Lowest 32% below U.S.	$1,628±$94Highest 15% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,262Lowest 37% above U.S.	$6,813Highest 118% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.5%±12.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	56.8%±10.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	14%±6.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.7%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Hampton 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	#31 of 120 in NH
School district	Green Mountain Unified School District #77	Hampton School District · Winnacunnet Cooperative School District
High school in town	Green Mountain Union High School	Winnacunnet High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.7Lowest	10.1Highest
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.