What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dracut has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.7%).

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

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	Dracut	Chester
People
Population	32,574Highest	2,992Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.7±2Lowest 7% above U.S.	49.7±4.7Highest 28% above U.S.
Kids under 18	21.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%	14.1%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	18.2%±2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29.8%±7.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	33.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.3 U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±4 U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$114,036±$10kHighest 41% above U.S.	$62,125±$8kLowest 23% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$473,900±$17kHighest 42% above U.S.	$232,900±$44kLowest 30% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,839±$130Highest 30% above U.S.	$960±$44Lowest 32% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,375Highest 72% above U.S.	$4,262Lowest 37% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±7.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	11.5%±12.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	11.4%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Chester and Dracut 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	#201 of 282 in MA	#49 of 70 in VT
School district	Dracut	Green Mountain Unified School District #77
High school in town	Dracut Senior High	Green Mountain Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Highest	8.7Lowest
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.