What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sutton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).

Chester has the most affordable homes ($233k median).

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	Sutton	Chester
People
Population	2,239Lowest	2,992Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.1±4.1Lowest 24% above U.S.	49.7±4.7Highest 28% above U.S.
	Chester and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%	14.1%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Sutton and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.6%±5.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29.8%±7.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Chester and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	33.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Chester and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$130,313±$31kHighest 61% above U.S.	$62,125±$8kLowest 23% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$362,600±$16kHighest 9% above U.S.	$232,900±$44kLowest 30% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,656±$614Highest 17% above U.S.	$960±$44Lowest 32% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,652Highest 145% above U.S.	$4,262Lowest 37% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.6%±47.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	11.5%±12.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Sutton and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	14.8%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14%±6.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sutton 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	—	#49 of 70 in VT
School district	Kearsarge Regional School District	Green Mountain Unified School District #77
High school in town	Kearsarge Regional High School	Green Mountain Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Highest	8.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.