What stands out worked out from the figures below

Colchester has the most people working from home (18.4%).

North Haven has the shortest commute (22 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	North Haven
People
Population	15,648Lowest	24,336Highest
Median age	43.5±3.8Lowest 6% above CT	45.7±1.3Highest 11% above CT
	North Haven and Colchester 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%	21.5%±2.5Highest CT: 20.2%
	North Haven and Colchester 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%±2.1Highest CT: 18.5%
	North Haven 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%	46.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1.3Highest CT: 7.1%	4.5%±1.3Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Colchester and North Haven 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	$132,689±$7kHighest 39% above CT
	North Haven 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	$393,200±$15kHighest 7% above CT
	North Haven 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	$1,720±$127Highest 16% above CT
	North Haven 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	$6,964Highest 5% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.4%±10.4Lowest CT: 52.6%	45.2%±10Highest CT: 52.6%
	North Haven 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%	4.1%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%	81.3%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 17 yrs newer than CT	1964Lowest 3 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 14% above CT	22 minLowest 18% below CT
Work from home	18.4%±3.8Highest CT: 16%	14.9%±2.8Lowest CT: 16%
	Colchester and North Haven 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	#64 of 149 in CT	#84 of 149 in CT
School district	Colchester School District	Area Cooperative Educational Services · North Haven School District
High school in town	Bacon Academy	North Haven High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	11.0Highest
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.