What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bolton has the most affordable homes ($368k median).

Madison has the most expensive homes ($584k 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	Bolton	Madison
People
Population	4,853Lowest	17,616Highest
Median age	43.7±3.3Lowest 6% above CT	51.9±1.9Highest 26% above CT
Kids under 18	20%±3.6Highest CT: 20.2%	18.1%±2.2Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Bolton and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.7%±3.4Lowest CT: 18.5%	25.2%±2.4Highest CT: 18.5%
	Madison and Bolton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	51.3%Lowest CT: 42.5%	72.4%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.7%±2.6Highest CT: 7.1%	5.9%±1.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Bolton and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$126,364±$19kLowest 32% above CT	$167,442±$16kHighest 75% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$367,600±$17kLowest about the CT average	$583,900±$30kHighest 59% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,127±$55Lowest 24% below CT	$2,025±$741Highest 36% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,091Lowest 22% above CT	$8,843Highest 33% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.8%±30.8Lowest CT: 52.6%	44%±12.3Highest CT: 52.6%
	Madison and Bolton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.2%Highest CT: 10%	3.6%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88%Lowest CT: 66.5%	90.4%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 2 yrs newer than CT	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below CT	30 minHighest 12% above CT
Work from home	20.7%±4.6Lowest CT: 16%	30.2%±5.3Highest CT: 16%
	Madison and Bolton 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	#79 of 149 in CT	#7 of 149 in CT
School district	Bolton School District	Madison School District
High school in town	Bolton High School	Daniel Hand High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.4Lowest	9.8Highest
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.