What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Newport has grown the fastest since 2010 (-3.2%).

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	Newport
People
Population	2,992Lowest	6,375Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-3.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.7±4.7Highest 28% above U.S.	46.9±5.2Lowest 21% above U.S.
	Chester and Newport 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%	13.3%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Chester and Newport 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%	24%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Chester and Newport 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%	28.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Chester and Newport 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.	$80,341±$12kHighest about the U.S. average
	Newport 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±$44kHighest 30% below U.S.	$225,900±$17kLowest 32% below U.S.
	Chester and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$960±$44Lowest 32% below U.S.	$1,365±$305Highest 3% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,262Lowest 37% above U.S.	$5,649Highest 81% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.5%±12.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	40%±15.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	11.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	66.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1964Lowest 16 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.	24 minLowest 10% below U.S.
Work from home	14%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.6%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Chester and Newport 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	#119 of 120 in NH
School district	Green Mountain Unified School District #77	Newport School District
High school in town	Green Mountain Union High School	Newport Middle High School (High)
Students per teacherat that high school	8.7Lowest	10.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.