What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Sterling has the most kids (22.8% 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	Cromwell	Sterling
People
Population	14,334Highest	3,629Lowest
Median age	43.5±2.5Highest 6% above CT	39.4±5.9Lowest 4% below CT
	Cromwell and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.1%±3.1Lowest CT: 20.2%	22.8%±5.9Highest CT: 20.2%
	Sterling and Cromwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22%±3.2Highest CT: 18.5%	13%±3.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	49.2%Highest CT: 42.5%	18%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.4%±1.8Highest CT: 7.1%	3.7%±1.9Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Cromwell and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,596±$10kHighest 15% above CT	$102,695±$12kLowest 7% above CT
	Cromwell and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$325,200±$22kHighest 11% below CT	$283,400±$17kLowest 23% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,628±$154 9% above CT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,137Highest 8% below CT	$4,551Lowest 31% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	61%±11.9Highest CT: 52.6%	32%±18.1Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Cromwell and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.9%Lowest CT: 10%	8.3%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.4%Highest CT: 66.5%	81.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 9 yrs newer than CT	1988Highest 21 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 11% below CT	35 minHighest 34% above CT
Work from home	18.4%±4Highest CT: 16%	11.6%±6.4Lowest CT: 16%
	Cromwell and Sterling 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	#69 of 149 in CT	#119 of 149 in CT
School district	Cromwell School District	Sterling School District
High school in town	Cromwell High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1	—
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.