What stands out worked out from the figures below

Burlington has the most kids (25.9% under 18).

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	Burlington	Madison
People
Population	9,680Lowest	17,616Highest
Median age	39.9±2.4Lowest about the CT average	51.9±1.9Highest 26% above CT
Kids under 18	25.9%±3.3Highest CT: 20.2%	18.1%±2.2Lowest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	13.7%±1.9Lowest CT: 18.5%	25.2%±2.4Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50.8%Lowest CT: 42.5%	72.4%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.5%±2Highest CT: 7.1%	5.9%±1.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Burlington and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$165,120±$13kLowest 72% above CT	$167,442±$16kHighest 75% above CT
	Madison and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$418,700±$21kLowest 14% above CT	$583,900±$30kHighest 59% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,427±$671Lowest 4% below CT	$2,025±$741Highest 36% above CT
	Madison and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,464Lowest 12% above CT	$8,843Highest 33% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.1%±15.9Highest CT: 52.6%	44%±12.3Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Burlington and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.1%Lowest CT: 10%	3.6%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.6%Highest CT: 66.5%	90.4%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 14 yrs newer than CT	1976Lowest 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 9% above CT	30 minHighest 12% above CT
Work from home	25%±4.1Lowest CT: 16%	30.2%±5.3Highest CT: 16%
	Madison and Burlington 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	#58 of 149 in CT	#7 of 149 in CT
School district	Regional School District 10	Madison School District
High school in town	Lewis S. Mills High School	Daniel Hand High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Highest	9.8Lowest
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.