What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chester has the most homeowners (86.7%).

Springfield has the most kids (18.6% under 18).

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	Springfield
People
Population	2,992Lowest	9,084Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-3.3%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	49.7±4.7Highest 15% above VT	43.2±3.7Lowest about the VT average
	Chester and Springfield 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%	18.6%±3.4Highest VT: 17.9%
	Springfield 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%	23.6%±3.7Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Chester and Springfield 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 VT: 43.8%	23.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±4Highest VT: 7%	2.3%±1.4Lowest VT: 7%
	Chester and Springfield 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	$66,571±$13kHighest 18% below VT
	Springfield 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 26% below VT	$192,400±$20kLowest 39% below VT
	Chester and Springfield 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	$963±$100Highest 22% below VT
	Springfield 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	$4,807Highest 5% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.5%±12.3Lowest VT: 48.4%	49.6%±15.6Highest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	7%Lowest VT: 10.1%	14.8%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest VT: 73.2%	67.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 4 yrs older than VT	1958Lowest 18 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 18% above VT	27 minLowest 16% above VT
Work from home	14%±6.9Lowest VT: 16.9%	15.1%±5.5Highest VT: 16.9%
	Springfield 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	#64 of 70 in VT
School district	Green Mountain Unified School District #77	River Valley Technical Center · Springfield School District
High school in town	Green Mountain Union High School	Springfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.7Lowest	14.3Highest
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.