What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hatfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.2%).

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	Hatfield	Chester
People
Population	3,325Highest	2,992Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.8±5Lowest 20% above U.S.	49.7±4.7Highest 28% above U.S.
	Chester and Hatfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	14.1%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Chester and Hatfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.3%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29.8%±7.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Chester and Hatfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	33.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.6 U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±4 U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$89,005±$25kHighest 10% above U.S.	$62,125±$8kLowest 23% below U.S.
	Hatfield and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$440,800±$26kHighest 32% above U.S.	$232,900±$44kLowest 30% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,267±$216Highest 10% below U.S.	$960±$44Lowest 32% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,930Highest 58% above U.S.	$4,262Lowest 37% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.6%±11.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	11.5%±12.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	16%±6.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14%±6.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Hatfield 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	#198 of 282 in MA	#49 of 70 in VT
School district	Hatfield	Green Mountain Unified School District #77
High school in town	Smith Academy	Green Mountain Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	6.1Lowest	8.7Highest
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.