What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barkhamsted has the most people working from home (20.3%).

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	Barkhamsted	Preston
People
Population	3,678Lowest	4,821Highest
Median age	50.2±3.3Highest 22% above CT	46.2±7Lowest 12% above CT
	Barkhamsted and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±3.9Lowest CT: 20.2%	18.7%±4.4Highest CT: 20.2%
	Preston and Barkhamsted are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.2%±7.1Highest CT: 18.5%	23%±4.7Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Barkhamsted and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.3%Highest CT: 42.5%	28.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±2.7Highest CT: 7.1%	4.9%±2.4Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Barkhamsted and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$123,544±$9kHighest 29% above CT	$116,648±$27kLowest 22% above CT
	Barkhamsted and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$368,000±$15kHighest about the CT average	$361,900±$13kLowest about the CT average
	Barkhamsted and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,164±$114Lowest 22% below CT	$1,433±$1kHighest 4% below CT
	Preston and Barkhamsted are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,354Highest 4% below CT	$4,749Lowest 29% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	28.8%±35.4Lowest CT: 52.6%	52.6%±12.5Highest CT: 52.6%
	Preston and Barkhamsted are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.6%Highest CT: 10%	2.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.9%Highest CT: 66.5%	91.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 11 yrs newer than CT	1970Lowest 3 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 6% above CT	22 minLowest 17% below CT
Work from home	20.3%±7.1Highest CT: 16%	10.3%±6Lowest CT: 16%
	Barkhamsted 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	#63 of 149 in CT	#93 of 149 in CT
School district	Barkhamsted 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.