What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Hardwick has the most expensive homes ($347k 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	Hardwick
People
Population	2,992Highest	2,684Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-10.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.7±4.7Highest 28% above U.S.	45.3±9.8Lowest 16% above U.S.
	Chester and Hardwick 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%	20.5%±5.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Hardwick 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%	22.7%±5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Chester and Hardwick 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%	30.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.2%±4.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hardwick 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.	$75,000±$22kHighest 7% below U.S.
	Hardwick 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±$44kLowest 30% below U.S.	$346,700±$67kHighest 4% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$960±$44Lowest 32% below U.S.	$1,108±$119Highest 22% below U.S.
	Hardwick 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.	$4,400Highest 41% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.5%±12.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59%±13.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	11%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	68.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1968Lowest 12 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.	31 minHighest 18% above U.S.
Work from home	14%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.7%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Chester and Hardwick 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	#163 of 282 in MA
School district	Green Mountain Unified School District #77	Quabbin
High school in town	Green Mountain Union High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	8.7	—
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.