What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chaplin has the most people working from home (18.1%).

Waterford has the most expensive homes ($356k 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	Chaplin	Waterford
People
Population	2,070Lowest	19,673Highest
Median age	43.7±4.8Lowest 6% above CT	46±2.4Highest 12% above CT
	Waterford and Chaplin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.7%±4.2Lowest CT: 20.2%	19.1%±2.5Highest CT: 20.2%
	Waterford and Chaplin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.9%±4.4Lowest CT: 18.5%	22.6%±2.1Highest CT: 18.5%
	Waterford and Chaplin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.4%Lowest CT: 42.5%	40.6%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.1%±6.2Highest CT: 7.1%	5.6%±1.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Chaplin and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,846±$14kLowest about the CT average	$104,820±$9kHighest 9% above CT
	Waterford and Chaplin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$255,200±$24kLowest 30% below CT	$355,900±$14kHighest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,473±$275Lowest about the CT average	$1,651±$153Highest 11% above CT
	Waterford and Chaplin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,524Lowest 32% below CT	$4,876Highest 27% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.6%±27.7Lowest CT: 52.6%	44.4%±12Highest CT: 52.6%
	Waterford and Chaplin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.4%Highest CT: 10%	4.6%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Highest CT: 66.5%	79.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 12 yrs newer than CT	1968Lowest 1 yr newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 22% above CT	22 minLowest 18% below CT
Work from home	18.1%±10Highest CT: 16%	10.2%±2.2Lowest CT: 16%
	Chaplin and Waterford 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	—	#80 of 149 in CT
School district	Chaplin School District · Regional School District 11	Learn · Waterford School District
High school in town	Parish Hill High School	Waterford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.5Lowest	11.1Highest
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.