What stands out worked out from the figures below

Darien has the most affordable homes ($211k median).

Windham has the most people working from home (20.5%).

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	Darien	Windham
People
Population	2,988Highest	594Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.7% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	50.5±8.8Highest 30% above U.S.	44.2±7.4Lowest 14% above U.S.
	Darien and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±5.9Highest U.S.: 22%	17.5%±7.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Darien and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.8%±6.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	23.2%±8.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Windham and Darien are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	17%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	48.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	0.8%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Darien and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,423±$15kLowest 10% above U.S.	$94,500±$12kHighest 17% above U.S.
	Windham and Darien are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$211,400±$21kLowest 36% below U.S.	$353,900±$20kHighest 6% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,910Lowest 57% above U.S.	$5,951Highest 91% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±48.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41.2%±94Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Windham and Darien are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	9.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1948Lowest 32 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.	27 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	5.6%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	20.5%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
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.