What stands out worked out from the figures below

Oneida has the most kids (19% 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	Oneida	Chester
People
Population	10,171Highest	2,992Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-4.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	47±2.4Lowest 21% above U.S.	49.7±4.7Highest 28% above U.S.
	Chester and Oneida are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%	14.1%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Oneida and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29.8%±7.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Chester and Oneida are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	33.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Chester and Oneida are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,597±$6kLowest 24% below U.S.	$62,125±$8kHighest 23% below U.S.
	Chester and Oneida are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$160,100±$9kLowest 52% below U.S.	$232,900±$44kHighest 30% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$903±$77Lowest 36% below U.S.	$960±$44Highest 32% below U.S.
	Chester and Oneida are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,778Lowest 21% above U.S.	$4,262Highest 37% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.2%±10.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	11.5%±12.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	14.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	61.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1946Lowest 34 yrs older than U.S.	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	8%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Chester and Oneida 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	#106 of 484 in NY	#49 of 70 in VT
School district	ONEIDA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT	Green Mountain Unified School District #77
High school in town	ONEIDA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	Green Mountain Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Highest	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.