Chester makes Connecticut’s top 10 on 2 lists
Chester is ranked on 33 lists against the 155 Connecticut towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 3.
Older than 95% of Connecticut
Not better or worse, just Chester’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Chester does best on
Each list ranks every CT town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Chester marked.
Chester lands in the top half on 8 of 20 lists
Each dot is Chester’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in CT, the right end is last. Areas where Chester does best come first.
4 spots from the top 3 for conserved land
Lists where Chester sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Chester out-ranks 0 of its 3 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Where Chester lands in every CT ranking
36 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Voluntown · 66.4%
#7
Most trails#1 Burlington · 3.8 mi / sq mi
#15
Most walkable#1 Bridgeport · 125 / sq mi
#119 
Health
Healthiest#1 Darien · 100 / 100
#109
Lowest obesity#1 Wilton · 21%
#76
Fewest smokers#1 Darien · 6%
#102
Most active#1 Darien · 15%
#92
Fewest uninsured#1 Madison · 4%
#47
Lowest depression#1 Westport · 17%
#105
Closest to a top hospital#1 Stamford · 0.0 mi
#138 People
Most educated#1 Darien · 85.9%
#64
Youngest#1 Mansfield · 21.2
#147
Oldest#1 Sherman · 60.2
#9
Most residents 65+#1 Sharon · 37.9%
#16
Most kids#1 Darien · 30.9%
#112 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Jewett City · 2.1 yrs
#116
Cheapest rent#1 Middlebury · $398/mo
#89
Lowest property tax#1 Windsor Locks · $3,688/yr
#85
Rent easiest to afford#1 Rocky Hill · 33.6%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Groton · 17.5 min
#92 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Salisbury · 27.5%
#94
Most new homes#1 Granby · 7.4 per 1,000
#134
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Waterbury · +99.9%
#80 Climate
Snowiest#1 North Canaan · 75 in
#132
Least snow#1 Groton · 25 in
#10
Mildest winters#1 Stamford · 24.1°
#34
Hottest summers#1 Windsor Locks · 85.4°
#88
Coolest summers#1 Goshen · 79.6°
#71
Longest growing season#1 Old Saybrook · 221 days
#85
Wettest#1 New Hartford · 53 in
#99 Safety
Safest#1 Weston · 2.1
The number on the right is Chester’s spot. All of Connecticut’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every CT list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.