What stands out worked out from the figures below

Canaan has the shortest commute (17 min average).

Norfolk has the youngest population (median age 48.2).

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	Canaan	Norfolk
People
Population	1,175Lowest	1,723Highest
Median age	54.2±3.2Highest 32% above CT	48.2±7.4Lowest 17% above CT
	Canaan and Norfolk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.6%±3.4Lowest CT: 20.2%	15.8%±4.8Highest CT: 20.2%
	Norfolk and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.5%±1.9Lowest CT: 18.5%	28.8%±3.7Highest CT: 18.5%
	Norfolk and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	49.8%Highest CT: 42.5%	48.6%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	12%±8.3Highest CT: 7.1%	2.1%±1.1Lowest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$89,632±$25kLowest 6% below CT	$91,548±$16kHighest 4% below CT
	Norfolk and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$469,400±$33kHighest 28% above CT	$430,900±$54kLowest 17% above CT
	Canaan and Norfolk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,830±$307Highest 23% above CT	$1,190±$116Lowest 20% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,331Highest 5% below CT	$6,065Lowest 9% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.1%±26Highest CT: 52.6%	27.3%±17Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Canaan and Norfolk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16%Highest CT: 10%	7.5%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.8%Highest CT: 66.5%	81.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1944Highest 23 yrs older than CT	1938Lowest 29 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 37% below CT	27 minHighest 3% above CT
Work from home	29.2%±13.5Highest CT: 16%	23.3%±4.7Lowest CT: 16%
	Canaan and Norfolk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Canaan School District · Regional School District 01	Norfolk School District
High school in town	Housatonic Valley Regional High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.4	—
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.