What stands out worked out from the figures below

Canaan has the most affordable homes ($160k median).

Bradley has the most people working from home (12.1%).

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	Bradley
People
Population	2,063Highest	1,645Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.6%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+2.7%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	44.2±6.1Highest about the ME average	42.6±9.7Lowest 5% below ME
	Canaan and Bradley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.2%±3.5Highest ME: 18.1%	21.9%±5.1Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Canaan and Bradley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.8%±4.6Lowest ME: 22.4%	19.5%±2.4Highest ME: 22.4%
	Bradley and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.1%Highest ME: 36.2%	22.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.8Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.2%±2Highest ME: 5.8%
	Bradley and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,781±$13kLowest 23% below ME	$76,667±$28kHighest about the ME average
	Bradley and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$159,900±$28kLowest 46% below ME	$201,800±$37kHighest 32% below ME
	Bradley and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$922±$252Lowest 19% below ME	$1,088±$325Highest 4% below ME
	Bradley and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,530Lowest 50% below ME	$1,946Highest 36% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	24.3%±27.3Lowest ME: 48.4%	31.3%±22.5Highest ME: 48.4%
	Bradley and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.9%Highest ME: 10.7%	4.6%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.7%Highest ME: 74.3%	84.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1991Highest 14 yrs newer than ME	1984Lowest 7 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 38% above ME	23 minLowest 7% below ME
Work from home	3.1%±2.2Lowest ME: 15.9%	12.1%±7.9Highest ME: 15.9%
	Bradley and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	RSU 54/MSAD 54	RSU 34
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.