What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Hingham has the most expensive homes ($1134k 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	Hingham
People
Population	2,992Lowest	24,283Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.7±4.7Highest 28% above U.S.	48.4±2.4Lowest 24% above U.S.
	Chester and Hingham 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%	23.4%±2.1Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	29.8%±7.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	26%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Chester and Hingham 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%	76.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.9%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Chester and Hingham 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.	$178,390±$15kHighest 121% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$232,900±$44kLowest 30% below U.S.	$1,134,200±$47kHighest 241% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$960±$44Lowest 32% below U.S.	$2,465±$603Highest 74% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,262Lowest 37% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.5%±12.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	60.3%±12Highest U.S.: 51.1%
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%	80.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.	36 minHighest 37% above U.S.
Work from home	14%±6.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	33.1%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#49 of 70 in VT	#14 of 282 in MA
School district	Green Mountain Unified School District #77	Hingham
High school in town	Green Mountain Union High School	Hingham High
Students per teacherat that high school	8.7Lowest	12.9Highest
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.