What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bristol has the most affordable homes ($278k median).

Southington has the highest household income ($124k).

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	Bristol	Southington
People
Population	61,462Highest	43,803Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.6% CT: +0.9%	—
Median age	37.9±1.5Lowest 8% below CT	45±1.4Highest 9% above CT
Kids under 18	20.1%±1.7Highest CT: 20.2%	18.7%±1.4Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Bristol and Southington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.2%±1.2Lowest CT: 18.5%	21%±1.6Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.3%Lowest CT: 42.5%	43.4%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±0.9Lowest CT: 7.1%	6.3%±1.1Highest CT: 7.1%
	Southington and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$79,076±$6kLowest 17% below CT	$124,309±$9kHighest 30% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$277,800±$8kLowest 24% below CT	$373,800±$10kHighest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,338±$45Lowest 10% below CT	$1,472±$77Highest about the CT average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,449Lowest 18% below CT	$6,206Highest 7% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.5%±5.9Highest CT: 52.6%	43.9%±8.6Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Bristol and Southington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.7%Highest CT: 10%	4.9%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.9%Lowest CT: 66.5%	81.1%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest same as CT	1974Highest 7 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 11% below CT	24 minHighest 9% below CT
Work from home	11.4%±1.7Lowest CT: 16%	17.3%±2.9Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#115 of 149 in CT	#51 of 149 in CT
School district	Bristol School District	Southington School District
High school in town	Bristol Central High School	Southington High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.0Highest	12.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	6 photos →	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.