What stands out worked out from the figures below

Colchester has the most expensive homes ($367k median).

Cromwell has the shortest commute (24 min average).

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	Colchester	Cromwell
People
Population	15,648Highest	14,334Lowest
Median age	43.5±3.8 6% above CT	43.5±2.5 6% above CT
Kids under 18	20.7%±2.8Highest CT: 20.2%	19.1%±3.1Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Colchester and Cromwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.3%±2.4Lowest CT: 18.5%	22%±3.2Highest CT: 18.5%
	Cromwell and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	49.7%Highest CT: 42.5%	49.2%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1.3Lowest CT: 7.1%	6.4%±1.8Highest CT: 7.1%
	Cromwell and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$122,390±$14kHighest 28% above CT	$110,596±$10kLowest 15% above CT
	Colchester and Cromwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$366,800±$16kHighest about the CT average	$325,200±$22kLowest 11% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,474±$153Lowest about the CT average	$1,628±$154Highest 9% above CT
	Cromwell and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,212Highest 6% below CT	$6,137Lowest 8% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.4%±10.4Lowest CT: 52.6%	61%±11.9Highest CT: 52.6%
	Cromwell and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.9%Lowest CT: 10%	5.9%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%	82.4%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 17 yrs newer than CT	1976Lowest 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 14% above CT	24 minLowest 11% below CT
Work from home	18.4%±3.8 CT: 16%	18.4%±4 CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#64 of 149 in CT	#69 of 149 in CT
School district	Colchester School District	Cromwell School District
High school in town	Bacon Academy	Cromwell High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	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.