What stands out worked out from the figures below

Crystal Lake has the most people working from home (17.5%).

Stafford has the shortest commute (26 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	Crystal Lake	Stafford
People
Population	2,024Lowest	11,511Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.6% CT: +0.9%	—
Median age	48.9±7.6Highest 19% above CT	46.7±4.8Lowest 14% above CT
	Crystal Lake and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.5%±7.5Highest CT: 20.2%	21.5%±3.1Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Crystal Lake and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.3%±5.1Highest CT: 18.5%	22%±3Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Crystal Lake and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.9%Highest CT: 42.5%	28.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.3%±3.7Highest CT: 7.1%	3.5%±1.3Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Crystal Lake and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$143,882±$29kHighest 50% above CT	$93,235±$16kLowest about the CT average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$361,800±$35kHighest about the CT average	$263,800±$22kLowest 28% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,086±$85 27% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,146Highest 8% above CT	$5,131Lowest 23% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±93.3Lowest CT: 52.6%	41.5%±12.2Highest CT: 52.6%
	Stafford and Crystal Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.7%Lowest CT: 10%	7.4%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.4%Highest CT: 66.5%	79.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 10 yrs newer than CT	1970Lowest 3 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	39 minHighest 47% above CT	26 minLowest about the CT average
Work from home	17.5%±10Highest CT: 16%	11%±3.5Lowest CT: 16%
	Crystal Lake and Stafford 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	—	#96 of 149 in CT
School district	—	Stafford School District
High school in town	—	Stafford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	9.8
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.