What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ashford has the most people working from home (19.3%).

Preston has the shortest commute (22 min average).

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	Ashford	Preston
People
Population	4,226Lowest	4,821Highest
Median age	37.9±10.3Lowest 8% below CT	46.2±7Highest 12% above CT
	Preston and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.5%±5.5Lowest CT: 20.2%	18.7%±4.4Highest CT: 20.2%
	Preston and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.9%±3.7Lowest CT: 18.5%	23%±4.7Highest CT: 18.5%
	Preston and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.3%Highest CT: 42.5%	28.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.7Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.9%±2.4Highest CT: 7.1%
	Preston and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$121,926±$23kHighest 27% above CT	$116,648±$27kLowest 22% above CT
	Ashford and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$334,800±$18kLowest 9% below CT	$361,900±$13kHighest about the CT average
	Preston and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,246±$208Lowest 16% below CT	$1,433±$1kHighest 4% below CT
	Preston and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,982Highest 5% above CT	$4,749Lowest 29% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47%±26Lowest CT: 52.6%	52.6%±12.5Highest CT: 52.6%
	Preston and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.4%Highest CT: 10%	2.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%	91.7%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 15 yrs newer than CT	1970Lowest 3 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 30% above CT	22 minLowest 17% below CT
Work from home	19.3%±5.5Highest CT: 16%	10.3%±6Lowest CT: 16%
	Ashford and Preston 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	#90 of 149 in CT	#93 of 149 in CT
School district	Ashford School District	Preston 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.