What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sharon has the most expensive homes ($591k median).

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	Sharon	Chester
People
Population	2,723Lowest	3,825Highest
Median age	59.5±6Highest 45% above CT	54±3.4Lowest 31% above CT
	Sharon and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	7.2%±3.2Lowest CT: 20.2%	17.5%±4.9Highest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	37.9%±9.3Highest CT: 18.5%	26.8%±4Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Sharon and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	56.8%Highest CT: 42.5%	47.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±2.5Lowest CT: 7.1%	4%±2.9Highest CT: 7.1%
	Chester and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$100,518±$15kLowest 5% above CT	$109,191±$18kHighest 14% above CT
	Chester and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$590,700±$156kHighest 61% above CT	$442,200±$25kLowest 21% above CT
	Sharon and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,750±$1kHighest 18% above CT	$1,549±$247Lowest 4% above CT
	Sharon and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,484Lowest 33% below CT	$6,364Highest 4% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64%±16.2Highest CT: 52.6%	57.4%±22.1Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Sharon and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.8%Lowest CT: 10%	11.8%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%	73.2%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 13 yrs older than CT	1969Highest 2 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 13% above CT	28 minLowest 7% above CT
Work from home	18.7%±6.8Highest CT: 16%	18.3%±5.6Lowest CT: 16%
	Sharon 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	Sharon School District	Chester School District
High school in town	None 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.