What stands out worked out from the figures below

Canton has the most people working from home (24.8%).

Colchester has the most renters (23.5% rent).

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	Canton	Colchester
People
Population	10,144Lowest	15,648Highest
Median age	45.3±5.2Highest 10% above CT	43.5±3.8Lowest 6% above CT
	Canton and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.6%±4Highest CT: 20.2%	20.7%±2.8Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Canton and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.5%±4.2Highest CT: 18.5%	20.3%±2.4Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Canton and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	57.2%Highest CT: 42.5%	49.7%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.6%±1.3Highest CT: 7.1%
	Colchester and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$117,991±$20kLowest 23% above CT	$122,390±$14kHighest 28% above CT
	Colchester and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$395,300±$24kHighest 8% above CT	$366,800±$16kLowest about the CT average
	Canton and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,403±$358Lowest 6% below CT	$1,474±$153Highest about the CT average
	Colchester and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,232Highest 9% above CT	$6,212Lowest 6% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.9%±28.9Highest CT: 52.6%	44.4%±10.4Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Canton and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Highest CT: 10%	3.9%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.7%Highest CT: 66.5%	76.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 9 yrs newer than CT	1984Highest 17 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 9% above CT	30 minHighest 14% above CT
Work from home	24.8%±6.1Highest CT: 16%	18.4%±3.8Lowest CT: 16%
	Canton and Colchester 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	#22 of 149 in CT	#64 of 149 in CT
School district	Canton School District	Colchester School District
High school in town	Canton High School	Bacon Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	9.6Lowest	9.8Highest
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.