What stands out worked out from the figures below

Berlin has the shortest commute (21 min average).

Ellington has the most people working from home (18.4%).

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	Berlin	Ellington
People
Population	20,361Highest	16,455Lowest
Median age	48.7±3Highest 18% above CT	40.9±2.4Lowest about the CT average
Kids under 18	19.4%±2.7Lowest CT: 20.2%	24%±3.2Highest CT: 20.2%
	Ellington and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.5%±3.1Highest CT: 18.5%	18.8%±2.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Berlin and Ellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%	51.4%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.2%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%	6%±2.2Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Berlin and Ellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$113,598±$11kLowest 19% above CT	$129,913±$17kHighest 36% above CT
	Ellington and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$374,600±$13kHighest about the CT average	$366,900±$17kLowest about the CT average
	Berlin and Ellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,402±$88Lowest 6% below CT	$1,737±$212Highest 17% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,291Highest 10% above CT	$6,751Lowest about the CT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.4%±11.3Highest CT: 52.6%	45.5%±10.3Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Berlin and Ellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Highest CT: 10%	2.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.6%Highest CT: 66.5%	72.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 5 yrs newer than CT	1982Highest 15 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 21% below CT	31 minHighest 18% above CT
Work from home	14.4%±4.6Lowest CT: 16%	18.4%±3.9Highest CT: 16%
	Ellington and Berlin 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	#73 of 149 in CT	#46 of 149 in CT
School district	Berlin School District	Ellington School District
High school in town	Berlin High School	Ellington High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.5Highest	10.3Lowest
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.