What stands out worked out from the figures below

Durham has the highest household income ($159k).

Bolton has the most kids (20% 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	Durham	Bolton
People
Population	7,208Highest	4,853Lowest
Median age	45.5±2.8Highest 11% above CT	43.7±3.3Lowest 6% above CT
	Durham and Bolton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±3.6Lowest CT: 20.2%	20%±3.6Highest CT: 20.2%
	Bolton and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.4%±3.7Lowest CT: 18.5%	19.7%±3.4Highest CT: 18.5%
	Bolton and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%	51.3%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.5Lowest CT: 7.1%	7.7%±2.6Highest CT: 7.1%
	Bolton and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$158,857±$7kHighest 66% above CT	$126,364±$19kLowest 32% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$424,800±$23kHighest 16% above CT	$367,600±$17kLowest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,154±$448Highest 22% below CT	$1,127±$55Lowest 24% below CT
	Durham and Bolton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,998Lowest 20% above CT	$8,091Highest 22% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.9%±28.4Highest CT: 52.6%	39.8%±30.8Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Durham and Bolton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Lowest CT: 10%	7.2%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.2%Highest CT: 66.5%	88%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT	1969Lowest 2 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 13% below CT	25 minHighest 6% below CT
Work from home	20.5%±6.4Lowest CT: 16%	20.7%±4.6Highest CT: 16%
	Bolton and Durham 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	#88 of 149 in CT	#79 of 149 in CT
School district	Regional School District 13	Bolton School District
High school in town	Coginchaug Regional High School	Bolton High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.9Highest	7.4Lowest
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.