What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rutland has the most affordable homes ($186k median).

Chesterfield has the most people working from home (18.9%).

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	Chesterfield
People
Population	15,712Highest	3,622Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-1.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49±2.1Highest 26% above U.S.	46.8±8.7Lowest 20% above U.S.
	Rutland and Chesterfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.5%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.5%±5.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Chesterfield and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.2%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	28.8%±7.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Chesterfield 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%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	45.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.5%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Rutland and Chesterfield 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 U.S.	$102,370±$40kHighest 27% above U.S.
	Chesterfield 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 44% below U.S.	$373,500±$33kHighest 12% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$995±$65Lowest 30% below U.S.	$1,324±$1kHighest 6% below U.S.
	Chesterfield and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,657Lowest 49% above U.S.	$6,344Highest 103% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.6%±8.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	83.7%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Chesterfield and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	16 minLowest 39% below U.S.	25 minHighest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	8.1%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.9%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#51 of 70 in VT	#52 of 120 in NH
School district	Rutland City School District	Chesterfield School District
High school in town	Rutland Senior High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	12.3	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.