What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lenox has the most kids (19.7% under 18).

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	Lenox	Chester
People
Population	8,658Highest	2,992Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.1±2Lowest 16% above U.S.	49.7±4.7Highest 28% above U.S.
	Chester and Lenox are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.7%±2.6Highest U.S.: 22%	14.1%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Lenox and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.9%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29.8%±7.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Chester and Lenox are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	33.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Chester and Lenox are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,900±$8kHighest 6% below U.S.	$62,125±$8kLowest 23% below U.S.
	Lenox and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$161,600±$9kLowest 51% below U.S.	$232,900±$44kHighest 30% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$935±$83Lowest 34% below U.S.	$960±$44Highest 32% below U.S.
	Chester and Lenox are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,184Lowest 34% above U.S.	$4,262Highest 37% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.5%±9.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	11.5%±12.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	10.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	8%±3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Chester and Lenox 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	#412 of 484 in NY	#49 of 70 in VT
School district	ONEIDA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT · CANASTOTA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Green Mountain Unified School District #77
High school in town	CANASTOTA HIGH SCHOOL	Green Mountain Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6Highest	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.