What stands out worked out from the figures below

Berlin has the most kids (19.4% under 18).

Thompson has the most affordable homes ($292k median).

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	Thompson
People
Population	20,361Highest	9,337Lowest
Median age	48.7±3Lowest 18% above CT	54.1±2.2Highest 32% above CT
Kids under 18	19.4%±2.7Highest CT: 20.2%	11.4%±2.8Lowest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	23.5%±3.1Lowest CT: 18.5%	24.4%±4.3Highest CT: 18.5%
	Thompson and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.9%Highest CT: 42.5%	21.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.2%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%	2.9%±1.3Lowest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$113,598±$11kHighest 19% above CT	$93,629±$18kLowest about the CT average
	Berlin and Thompson 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	$291,900±$24kLowest 20% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,402±$88Highest 6% below CT	$1,012±$344Lowest 32% below CT
	Berlin and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,291Highest 10% above CT	$3,822Lowest 42% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.4%±11.3Highest CT: 52.6%	54%±18.7Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Berlin and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Lowest CT: 10%	5.9%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.6%Lowest CT: 66.5%	84.3%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 5 yrs newer than CT	1963Lowest 4 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 21% below CT	32 minHighest 20% above CT
Work from home	14.4%±4.6Highest CT: 16%	13.1%±4.4Lowest CT: 16%
	Berlin and Thompson 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	#130 of 149 in CT
School district	Berlin School District	Thompson School District
High school in town	Berlin High School	Tourtellotte Memorial High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.5Highest	7.9Lowest
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.