What stands out worked out from the figures below

Newport has the shortest commute (15 min average).

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	Newport	Chester
People
Population	4,394Highest	2,992Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.9%Highest VT: +2.8%	-4.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	46.4±4.3Lowest 8% above VT	49.7±4.7Highest 15% above VT
	Chester and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.2%±3.9Lowest VT: 17.9%	14.1%±4.7Highest VT: 17.9%
	Chester and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.8%±4.7Lowest VT: 21.4%	29.8%±7.9Highest VT: 21.4%
	Chester and Newport 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 VT: 43.8%	33.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.5Lowest VT: 7%	5.1%±4Highest VT: 7%
	Chester and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$54,646±$12kLowest 33% below VT	$62,125±$8kHighest 23% below VT
	Chester and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$179,400±$11kLowest 43% below VT	$232,900±$44kHighest 26% below VT
	Chester and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$850±$49Lowest 31% below VT	$960±$44Highest 22% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,036Lowest 20% below VT	$4,262Highest 15% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.2%±15.8Highest VT: 48.4%	11.5%±12.3Lowest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	23%Highest VT: 10.1%	7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.6%Lowest VT: 73.2%	86.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 10 yrs older than VT	1972Highest 4 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	15 minLowest 38% below VT	28 minHighest 18% above VT
Work from home	16.8%±8.3Highest VT: 16.9%	14%±6.9Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Newport 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	#63 of 70 in VT	#49 of 70 in VT
School district	Newport City School District · North Country Union High School District	Green Mountain Unified School District #77
High school in town	North Country Union High School	Green Mountain Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Highest	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.