What stands out worked out from the figures below

Clarendon has the shortest commute (16 min average).

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

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	Clarendon	Chester
People
Population	2,460Lowest	2,992Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-4.7%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	52.3±4.1Highest 21% above VT	49.7±4.7Lowest 15% above VT
	Clarendon and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±5.1Highest VT: 17.9%	14.1%±4.7Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Clarendon and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.4%±4.2Lowest VT: 21.4%	29.8%±7.9Highest VT: 21.4%
	Chester and Clarendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.5%Lowest VT: 43.8%	33.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±1Lowest VT: 7%	5.1%±4Highest VT: 7%
	Chester and Clarendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$59,609±$12kLowest 27% below VT	$62,125±$8kHighest 23% below VT
	Chester and Clarendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$220,900±$32kLowest 30% below VT	$232,900±$44kHighest 26% below VT
	Chester and Clarendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$305Highest 11% below VT	$960±$44Lowest 22% below VT
	Clarendon and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,740Lowest 26% below VT	$4,262Highest 15% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.4%±27.1Highest VT: 48.4%	11.5%±12.3Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Clarendon and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6%Lowest VT: 10.1%	7%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.3%Lowest VT: 73.2%	86.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 5 yrs older than VT	1972Highest 4 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	16 minLowest 33% below VT	28 minHighest 18% above VT
Work from home	9.1%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	14%±6.9Highest VT: 16.9%
	Chester and Clarendon 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
School district	Mill River Unified Union School District #52	Green Mountain Unified School District #77
High school in town	Mill River Union High School	Green Mountain Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.4Highest	8.7Lowest
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.