What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Sterling has the most kids (22.8% 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	Ashford	Sterling
People
Population	4,226Highest	3,629Lowest
Median age	37.9±10.3Lowest 8% below CT	39.4±5.9Highest 4% below CT
	Sterling 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%	22.8%±5.9Highest CT: 20.2%
	Sterling and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.9%±3.7Highest CT: 18.5%	13%±3.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Ashford and Sterling 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%	18%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.7Highest CT: 7.1%	3.7%±1.9Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Ashford and Sterling 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	$102,695±$12kLowest 7% above CT
	Ashford and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$334,800±$18kHighest 9% below CT	$283,400±$17kLowest 23% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,246±$208 16% below CT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,982Highest 5% above CT	$4,551Lowest 31% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47%±26Highest CT: 52.6%	32%±18.1Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Ashford and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.4%Lowest CT: 10%	8.3%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%	81.1%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Lowest 15 yrs newer than CT	1988Highest 21 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minLowest 30% above CT	35 minHighest 34% above CT
Work from home	19.3%±5.5Highest CT: 16%	11.6%±6.4Lowest CT: 16%
	Ashford and Sterling 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	#119 of 149 in CT
School district	Ashford School District	Sterling 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.