What stands out worked out from the figures below

Deep River has the shortest commute (24 min average).

Douglas has the highest household income ($152k).

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	Douglas
People
Population	4,458Lowest	9,207Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+6% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.2±5.6Highest 19% above U.S.	44±2.6Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Deep River and Douglas 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%	21.2%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Douglas and Deep River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Deep River and Douglas 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%	41.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±2.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Douglas and Deep River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$90,253±$19kLowest 12% above U.S.	$152,267±$10kHighest 89% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$362,200±$26kLowest 9% above U.S.	$470,600±$29kHighest 41% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,221±$185Lowest 14% below U.S.	$1,503±$697Highest 6% above U.S.
	Douglas and Deep River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,092Lowest 95% above U.S.	$6,338Highest 103% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.2%±22.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	33.9%±17.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Deep River and Douglas 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%	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 6 yrs older than U.S.	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.	34 minHighest 28% above U.S.
Work from home	15.2%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	20.9%±4.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Douglas and Deep River 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	#177 of 282 in MA
School district	Deep River School District · Regional School District 04	Douglas
High school in town	Valley Regional High School	Douglas High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.3Highest	7.2Lowest
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.