What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Rutland has the shortest commute (16 min average).

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	Rutland
People
Population	2,992Lowest	15,712Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-4.2%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	49.7±4.7Highest 15% above VT	49±2.1Lowest 14% above VT
	Chester and Rutland 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%	15.5%±2.4Highest VT: 17.9%
	Rutland 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%	26.2%±3.1Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Chester and Rutland 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%	33.4%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±4Highest VT: 7%	2.2%±0.8Lowest VT: 7%
	Chester and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$62,125±$8kHighest 23% below VT	$57,675±$8kLowest 29% below VT
	Chester and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$232,900±$44kHighest 26% below VT	$185,500±$16kLowest 41% below VT
	Chester and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$960±$44Lowest 22% below VT	$995±$65Highest 19% below VT
	Rutland 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	$4,657Highest 8% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.5%±12.3Lowest VT: 48.4%	51.6%±8.2Highest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	7%Lowest VT: 10.1%	15.3%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest VT: 73.2%	54.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 4 yrs older than VT	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 18% above VT	16 minLowest 32% below VT
Work from home	14%±6.9Highest VT: 16.9%	8.1%±2.6Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Chester and Rutland 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	#51 of 70 in VT
School district	Green Mountain Unified School District #77	Rutland City School District
High school in town	Green Mountain Union High School	Rutland Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.7Lowest	12.3Highest
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.