What stands out worked out from the figures below

Moriah has grown the fastest since 2010 (-1.7%).

Chester has the most expensive 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	Moriah	Chester
People
Population	4,483Highest	2,992Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	56.7±3Highest 46% above U.S.	49.7±4.7Lowest 28% above U.S.
	Moriah and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.4%±4.8Highest U.S.: 22%	14.1%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Moriah and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	33.4%±6.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	29.8%±7.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Moriah and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	33.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.6%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Chester and Moriah are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$63,113±$6kHighest 22% below U.S.	$62,125±$8kLowest 23% below U.S.
	Moriah and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$138,200±$9kLowest 58% below U.S.	$232,900±$44kHighest 30% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$832±$165Lowest 41% below U.S.	$960±$44Highest 32% below U.S.
	Chester and Moriah are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,644Lowest 15% below U.S.	$4,262Highest 37% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±25.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	11.5%±12.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	14.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1951Lowest 29 yrs older than U.S.	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 22% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	9.4%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Chester and Moriah 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	#380 of 484 in NY	#49 of 70 in VT
School district	MORIAH CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Green Mountain Unified School District #77
High school in town	MORIAH JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	Green Mountain Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.6Lowest	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.