What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Reading 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	Reading
People
Population	2,992Highest	699Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+3.2%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	49.7±4.7Lowest 15% above VT	51.1±7.6Highest 19% above VT
	Reading and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.1%±4.7Lowest VT: 17.9%	18.5%±4.2Highest VT: 17.9%
	Reading 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%	28.2%±3.3Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Chester and Reading 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 VT: 43.8%	46%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±4Highest VT: 7%	3.1%±2.5Lowest VT: 7%
	Chester and Reading 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	$85,000±$19kHighest 5% above VT
	Reading 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 26% below VT	$377,200±$72kHighest 19% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$960±$44Lowest 22% below VT	$1,100±$331Highest 11% below VT
	Reading and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,262Lowest 15% below VT	$5,754Highest 14% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.5%±12.3Lowest VT: 48.4%	63.3%±31.7Highest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	7%Lowest VT: 10.1%	8.4%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest VT: 73.2%	84.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 4 yrs older than VT	1969Lowest 7 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 18% above VT	33 minHighest 41% above VT
Work from home	14%±6.9Lowest VT: 16.9%	22.9%±10.6Highest VT: 16.9%
	Reading 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	—
School district	Green Mountain Unified School District #77	Mountain Views Unified Union School District #76
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 Our Story	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.