What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chesterfield has the most affordable homes ($143k median).

Colchester has the most people working from home (19%).

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	Chesterfield	Colchester
People
Population	2,492Lowest	17,648Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.2±5.3Highest 11% above U.S.	39.3±1.4Lowest about the U.S. average
	Chesterfield and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.3%±4.4Highest U.S.: 22%	19.1%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Chesterfield and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23%±3.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.9%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Chesterfield and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	40.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.6%±6.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	10.9%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Colchester and Chesterfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,278±$24kLowest 19% below U.S.	$97,891±$9kHighest 21% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$142,900±$49kLowest 57% below U.S.	$394,400±$25kHighest 19% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,114±$43Lowest 21% below U.S.	$1,474±$122Highest 4% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,071Lowest 34% below U.S.	$5,471Highest 75% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.5%±20.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.2%±10.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Chesterfield and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	74.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minHighest 22% below U.S.	20 minLowest 25% below U.S.
Work from home	3.8%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19%±3.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#18 of 70 in VT
School district	—	Colchester School District
High school in town	—	Colchester High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.8
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.