What stands out worked out from the figures below

Milton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.6%).

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	Milton	Chester
People
Population	10,769Highest	2,992Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Highest VT: +2.8%	-4.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	41.6±2.5Lowest 3% below VT	49.7±4.7Highest 15% above VT
Kids under 18	17.6%±3.4Highest VT: 17.9%	14.1%±4.7Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Milton and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16%±2.6Lowest VT: 21.4%	29.8%±7.9Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.1% VT: 43.8%	33.1% VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.3Lowest VT: 7%	5.1%±4Highest VT: 7%
	Chester and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$118,977±$10kHighest 47% above VT	$62,125±$8kLowest 23% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$372,500±$20kHighest 18% above VT	$232,900±$44kLowest 26% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,536±$257Highest 24% above VT	$960±$44Lowest 22% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,610Highest 11% above VT	$4,262Lowest 15% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.1%±20.6Highest VT: 48.4%	11.5%±12.3Lowest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	3.6%Lowest VT: 10.1%	7%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.9%Highest VT: 73.2%	86.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 9 yrs newer than VT	1972Lowest 4 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 18% above VT	28 minLowest 18% above VT
Work from home	14.6%±2.9Highest VT: 16.9%	14%±6.9Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Milton 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	#56 of 70 in VT	#49 of 70 in VT
School district	Milton School District	Green Mountain Unified School District #77
High school in town	Milton Senior High School	Green Mountain Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.3Highest	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.