What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Milton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.6%).

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	Milton
People
Population	2,992Lowest	10,769Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+3.6%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	49.7±4.7Highest 15% above VT	41.6±2.5Lowest 3% below VT
Kids under 18	14.1%±4.7Lowest VT: 17.9%	17.6%±3.4Highest VT: 17.9%
	Milton 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 VT: 21.4%	16%±2.6Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.1% VT: 43.8%	33.1% VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±4Highest VT: 7%	3.5%±1.3Lowest VT: 7%
	Chester and Milton 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 VT	$118,977±$10kHighest 47% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$232,900±$44kLowest 26% below VT	$372,500±$20kHighest 18% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$960±$44Lowest 22% below VT	$1,536±$257Highest 24% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,262Lowest 15% below VT	$5,610Highest 11% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.5%±12.3Lowest VT: 48.4%	53.1%±20.6Highest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	7%Highest VT: 10.1%	3.6%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	86.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 4 yrs older than VT	1985Highest 9 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 18% above VT	28 minHighest 18% above VT
Work from home	14%±6.9Lowest VT: 16.9%	14.6%±2.9Highest VT: 16.9%
	Milton 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	#56 of 70 in VT
School district	Green Mountain Unified School District #77	Milton School District
High school in town	Green Mountain Union High School	Milton Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.7Lowest	9.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

VT 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.