What stands out worked out from the figures below

Oronoque has the shortest commute (21 min average).

Chester has the most kids (17.5% under 18).

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	Oronoque	Chester
People
Population	4,116Highest	3,825Lowest
Median age	66.6±1.6Highest 62% above CT	54±3.4Lowest 31% above CT
Kids under 18	6%±2.8Lowest CT: 20.2%	17.5%±4.9Highest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	53.8%±7.4Highest CT: 18.5%	26.8%±4Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%	47.9%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	8.1%±3.5Highest CT: 7.1%	4%±2.9Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Oronoque and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$72,417±$5kLowest 24% below CT	$109,191±$18kHighest 14% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$355,600±$26kLowest 3% below CT	$442,200±$25kHighest 21% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,278±$352Highest 53% above CT	$1,549±$247Lowest 4% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,787Highest about the CT average	$6,364Lowest 4% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	84.6%±20.7Highest CT: 52.6%	57.4%±22.1Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Oronoque and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Lowest CT: 10%	11.8%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.3%Highest CT: 66.5%	73.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 8 yrs newer than CT	1969Lowest 2 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 22% below CT	28 minHighest 7% above CT
Work from home	20.3%±11.7Highest CT: 16%	18.3%±5.6Lowest CT: 16%
	Oronoque 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	—	#8 of 149 in CT
School district	—	Chester School District
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

CT 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.