What stands out worked out from the figures below

Colchester has the oldest population (median age 43.5).

Ellington has the most kids (24% under 18).

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	Ellington
People
Population	15,648Lowest	16,455Highest
Median age	43.5±3.8Highest 6% above CT	40.9±2.4Lowest about the CT average
	Colchester and Ellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.7%±2.8Lowest CT: 20.2%	24%±3.2Highest CT: 20.2%
	Ellington and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.3%±2.4Highest CT: 18.5%	18.8%±2.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Colchester and Ellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	49.7%Lowest CT: 42.5%	51.4%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1.3Lowest CT: 7.1%	6%±2.2Highest CT: 7.1%
	Ellington 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±$14kLowest 28% above CT	$129,913±$17kHighest 36% above CT
	Ellington and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$366,800±$16kLowest about the CT average	$366,900±$17kHighest about the CT average
	Ellington and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,474±$153Lowest about the CT average	$1,737±$212Highest 17% above CT
	Ellington and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,212Lowest 6% below CT	$6,751Highest about the CT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.4%±10.4Lowest CT: 52.6%	45.5%±10.3Highest CT: 52.6%
	Ellington and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.9%Highest CT: 10%	2.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.5%Highest CT: 66.5%	72.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 17 yrs newer than CT	1982Lowest 15 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 14% above CT	31 minHighest 18% above CT
Work from home	18.4%±3.8 CT: 16%	18.4%±3.9 CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#64 of 149 in CT	#46 of 149 in CT
School district	Colchester School District	Ellington School District
High school in town	Bacon Academy	Ellington High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	10.3Highest
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.