What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rutland has the shortest commute (16 min average).

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	Rutland	Chester
People
Population	15,712Highest	2,992Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.2%Highest VT: +2.8%	-4.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	49±2.1Lowest 14% above VT	49.7±4.7Highest 15% above VT
	Chester and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.5%±2.4Highest VT: 17.9%	14.1%±4.7Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Rutland and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.2%±3.1Lowest VT: 21.4%	29.8%±7.9Highest VT: 21.4%
	Chester and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.4%Highest VT: 43.8%	33.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±0.8Lowest VT: 7%	5.1%±4Highest VT: 7%
	Chester and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,675±$8kLowest 29% below VT	$62,125±$8kHighest 23% below VT
	Chester and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$185,500±$16kLowest 41% below VT	$232,900±$44kHighest 26% below VT
	Chester and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$995±$65Highest 19% below VT	$960±$44Lowest 22% below VT
	Rutland and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,657Highest 8% below VT	$4,262Lowest 15% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.6%±8.2Highest VT: 48.4%	11.5%±12.3Lowest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	15.3%Highest VT: 10.1%	7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	86.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1972Highest 4 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	16 minLowest 32% below VT	28 minHighest 18% above VT
Work from home	8.1%±2.6Lowest VT: 16.9%	14%±6.9Highest VT: 16.9%
	Chester and Rutland 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	#51 of 70 in VT	#49 of 70 in VT
School district	Rutland City School District	Green Mountain Unified School District #77
High school in town	Rutland Senior High School	Green Mountain Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.3Highest	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.