What stands out worked out from the figures below

Croydon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.8%).

Wallingford has the most people working from home (7.1%).

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	Croydon	Wallingford
People
Population	798Lowest	2,286Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43±9.1Lowest 11% above U.S.	45.9±10.8Highest 18% above U.S.
	Wallingford and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±6.3Highest U.S.: 22%	18.7%±5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Croydon and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.4%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	23.9%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Croydon and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	30.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.5%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Croydon and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,333±$21kHighest 22% above U.S.	$80,230±$15kLowest about the U.S. average
	Croydon and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$317,300±$33kHighest 5% below U.S.	$261,900±$44kLowest 21% below U.S.
	Croydon and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$991±$336Highest 30% below U.S.	$891±$95Lowest 37% below U.S.
	Croydon and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,806Lowest 22% above U.S.	$4,355Highest 40% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	7.1%±75.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	14.3%±13.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wallingford and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the U.S. average	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	5.3%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	7.1%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Wallingford and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Croydon School District	Mill River Unified Union School District #52
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.