What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chester has the most expensive homes ($306k median).

Johnsburg has the most people working from home (16.7%).

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	Johnsburg
People
Population	3,074Highest	1,786Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8%Highest NY: +4.2%	-10.5%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	54.1±6.7Lowest 36% above NY	56.2±5.8Highest 41% above NY
	Johnsburg and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.1%±4.9Highest NY: 20.5%	13.4%±4.1Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Chester and Johnsburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	32.4%±5.3Highest NY: 17.9%	29.7%±4.5Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Chester and Johnsburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.5%Lowest NY: 40.2%	36.6%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.5%±1.5Lowest NY: 7%	2.9%±2.8Highest NY: 7%
	Johnsburg and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,623±$20kHighest about the NY average	$60,987±$8kLowest 29% below NY
	Chester and Johnsburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$306,400±$38kHighest 28% below NY	$215,600±$41kLowest 49% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$868±$163Lowest 46% below NY	$942±$94Highest 42% below NY
	Johnsburg and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,924Lowest 56% below NY	$2,973Highest 55% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	25.6%±27.3Lowest NY: 52.1%	31.5%±19.1Highest NY: 52.1%
	Johnsburg and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.6%Lowest NY: 14%	10.5%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.5%Highest NY: 54.3%	82%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 20 yrs newer than NY	1978Lowest 19 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 26% below NY	26 minHighest 21% below NY
Work from home	11.2%±5.6Lowest NY: 14.9%	16.7%±16.8Highest NY: 14.9%
	Johnsburg 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	#307 of 484 in NY	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

NY 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.