What stands out worked out from the figures below

Deep River has the most expensive homes ($362k median).

Dalton has the most kids (20.6% 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	Deep River	Dalton
People
Population	4,458Lowest	6,256Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-6.3% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.2±5.6Lowest 19% above U.S.	49.7±5.8Highest 28% above U.S.
	Dalton and Deep River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.6%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.6%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Dalton and Deep River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	27.9%±5.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Dalton and Deep River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	44.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.3%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Deep River and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$90,253±$19kHighest 12% above U.S.	$79,438±$8kLowest about the U.S. average
	Deep River and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$362,200±$26kHighest 9% above U.S.	$295,700±$26kLowest 11% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,221±$185Highest 14% below U.S.	$872±$70Lowest 38% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,092Highest 95% above U.S.	$4,276Lowest 37% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.2%±22.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	41.2%±19Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Deep River and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	70.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 6 yrs older than U.S.	1957Lowest 23 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 8% below U.S.	22 minLowest 16% below U.S.
Work from home	15.2%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	12.5%±7.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Deep River and Dalton 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	#70 of 149 in CT	#192 of 282 in MA
School district	Deep River School District · Regional School District 04	Central Berkshire
High school in town	Valley Regional High School	Wahconah Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.3Lowest	10.9Highest
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.