What stands out worked out from the figures below

Branford has the most affordable homes ($401k median).

Guilford has the most kids (20.8% 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	Branford	Guilford
People
Population	28,217Highest	22,108Lowest
Median age	54.2±2.1Highest 32% above CT	51.1±1.9Lowest 24% above CT
	Branford and Guilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.1%±1.8Lowest CT: 20.2%	20.8%±2.4Highest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	30.3%±2.6Highest CT: 18.5%	26.6%±2.7Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Branford and Guilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	51.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%	60.6%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±1.2Highest CT: 7.1%	3.7%±1Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Branford and Guilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$105,225±$7kLowest 10% above CT	$137,816±$11kHighest 44% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$401,200±$21kLowest 9% above CT	$515,800±$40kHighest 41% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,565±$111Lowest 5% above CT	$1,717±$128Highest 15% above CT
	Guilford and Branford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,575Lowest about the CT average	$8,744Highest 32% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.7%±9Highest CT: 52.6%	47.4%±9Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Branford and Guilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.9%Highest CT: 10%	2.8%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%	83.7%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 5 yrs newer than CT	1974Highest 7 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 11% below CT	26 minHighest about the CT average
Work from home	16.1%±3.8Lowest CT: 16%	21.7%±3.3Highest CT: 16%
	Guilford and Branford 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	#94 of 149 in CT	#15 of 149 in CT
School district	Branford School District	Guilford School District
High school in town	Branford High School	Guilford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.0Lowest	11.8Highest
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.