What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gardner has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.2%).

Chester has the most homeowners (86.7%).

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	Gardner	Chester
People
Population	21,148Highest	2,992Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±2.3Lowest 12% above U.S.	49.7±4.7Highest 28% above U.S.
	Chester and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%	14.1%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Gardner and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.6%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29.8%±7.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	33.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Chester and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,518±$8kHighest 16% below U.S.	$62,125±$8kLowest 23% below U.S.
	Gardner and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$301,600±$20kHighest 9% below U.S.	$232,900±$44kLowest 30% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,109±$51Highest 22% below U.S.	$960±$44Lowest 32% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,150Lowest 33% above U.S.	$4,262Highest 37% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.7%±8.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	11.5%±12.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	13.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 26 yrs older than U.S.	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	13.3%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Chester and Gardner 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	#273 of 282 in MA	#49 of 70 in VT
School district	Gardner	Green Mountain Unified School District #77
High school in town	Gardner High	Green Mountain Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	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.