What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Townsend has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.3%).

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	Townsend
People
Population	2,992Lowest	9,100Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.7±4.7Highest 28% above U.S.	40.9±3.3Lowest 5% above U.S.
Kids under 18	14.1%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Townsend 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 U.S.: 17.2%	17.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	35.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±4 U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±2.4 U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$62,125±$8kLowest 23% below U.S.	$121,528±$23kHighest 51% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$232,900±$44kLowest 30% below U.S.	$433,200±$22kHighest 30% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$960±$44Lowest 32% below U.S.	$1,469±$313Highest 4% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,262Lowest 37% above U.S.	$6,031Highest 93% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.5%±12.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	50.6%±16.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.
Work from home	14%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Chester and Townsend 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	#136 of 282 in MA
School district	Green Mountain Unified School District #77	North Middlesex
High school in town	Green Mountain Union High School	North Middlesex Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	8.7Lowest	13.1Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.