What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

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	Beacon Falls	Sterling
People
Population	6,147Highest	3,629Lowest
Median age	48.4±3.8Highest 18% above CT	39.4±5.9Lowest 4% below CT
	Beacon Falls and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±4.8Lowest CT: 20.2%	22.8%±5.9Highest CT: 20.2%
	Sterling and Beacon Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.5%±4.4Highest CT: 18.5%	13%±3.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.6%Highest CT: 42.5%	18%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±3.2Highest CT: 7.1%	3.7%±1.9Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Beacon Falls and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$101,516±$42kLowest 6% above CT	$102,695±$12kHighest 7% above CT
	Sterling and Beacon Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$350,300±$34kHighest 5% below CT	$283,400±$17kLowest 23% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,921±$286 29% above CT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,534Highest about the CT average	$4,551Lowest 31% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.7%±30.4Highest CT: 52.6%	32%±18.1Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Beacon Falls and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.1%Lowest CT: 10%	8.3%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.5%Highest CT: 66.5%	81.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Lowest 18 yrs newer than CT	1988Highest 21 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 23% above CT	35 minHighest 34% above CT
Work from home	20.3%±7.4Highest CT: 16%	11.6%±6.4Lowest CT: 16%
	Beacon Falls 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	#77 of 149 in CT	#119 of 149 in CT
School district	Regional School District 16	Sterling School District
High school in town	Woodland Regional High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2	—
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.