What stands out worked out from the figures below

Deep River has the most kids (16.6% under 18).

Sharon has the most expensive homes ($591k median).

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	Sharon
People
Population	4,458Highest	2,723Lowest
Median age	46.2±5.6Lowest 12% above CT	59.5±6Highest 45% above CT
Kids under 18	16.6%±4.7Highest CT: 20.2%	7.2%±3.2Lowest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	22.1%±4.1Lowest CT: 18.5%	37.9%±9.3Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.6%Lowest CT: 42.5%	56.8%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±2.2Highest CT: 7.1%	3.5%±2.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Deep River and Sharon 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 6% below CT	$100,518±$15kHighest 5% above CT
	Sharon and Deep River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$362,200±$26kLowest about the CT average	$590,700±$156kHighest 61% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,221±$185Lowest 18% below CT	$1,750±$1kHighest 18% above CT
	Sharon and Deep River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,092Highest 8% below CT	$4,484Lowest 33% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.2%±22.9Lowest CT: 52.6%	64%±16.2Highest CT: 52.6%
	Sharon and Deep River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Lowest CT: 10%	10.8%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%	72.5%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 7 yrs newer than CT	1954Lowest 13 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below CT	30 minHighest 13% above CT
Work from home	15.2%±5.6Lowest CT: 16%	18.7%±6.8Highest CT: 16%
	Sharon 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	—
School district	Deep River School District · Regional School District 04	Sharon School District
High school in town	Valley Regional High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.3	—
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.