What stands out worked out from the figures below

Springfield has the most kids (18.6% under 18).

Chester has the most homeowners (86.7%).

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	Springfield	Chester
People
Population	9,084Highest	2,992Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.3%Highest VT: +2.8%	-4.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	43.2±3.7Lowest about the VT average	49.7±4.7Highest 15% above VT
	Chester and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.4Highest VT: 17.9%	14.1%±4.7Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Springfield and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.6%±3.7Lowest VT: 21.4%	29.8%±7.9Highest VT: 21.4%
	Chester and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%	33.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.4Lowest VT: 7%	5.1%±4Highest VT: 7%
	Chester and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,571±$13kHighest 18% below VT	$62,125±$8kLowest 23% below VT
	Springfield and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$192,400±$20kLowest 39% below VT	$232,900±$44kHighest 26% below VT
	Chester and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$963±$100Highest 22% below VT	$960±$44Lowest 22% below VT
	Springfield and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,807Highest 5% below VT	$4,262Lowest 15% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.6%±15.6Highest VT: 48.4%	11.5%±12.3Lowest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	14.8%Highest VT: 10.1%	7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	86.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Lowest 18 yrs older than VT	1972Highest 4 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 16% above VT	28 minHighest 18% above VT
Work from home	15.1%±5.5Highest VT: 16.9%	14%±6.9Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Springfield 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	#64 of 70 in VT	#49 of 70 in VT
School district	River Valley Technical Center · Springfield School District	Green Mountain Unified School District #77
High school in town	Springfield High School	Green Mountain Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	8.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.