What stands out worked out from the figures below

Durham has the most affordable homes ($425k median).

Madison has the most people working from home (30.2%).

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	Madison
People
Population	7,208Lowest	17,616Highest
Median age	45.5±2.8Lowest 11% above CT	51.9±1.9Highest 26% above CT
Kids under 18	16.4%±3.6Lowest CT: 20.2%	18.1%±2.2Highest CT: 20.2%
	Madison 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%	25.2%±2.4Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%	72.4%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.5Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.9%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%
	Madison 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±$7kLowest 66% above CT	$167,442±$16kHighest 75% above CT
	Madison and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$424,800±$23kLowest 16% above CT	$583,900±$30kHighest 59% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,154±$448Lowest 22% below CT	$2,025±$741Highest 36% above CT
	Madison and Durham 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	$8,843Highest 33% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.9%±28.4Highest CT: 52.6%	44%±12.3Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Durham and Madison 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%	3.6%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.2%Highest CT: 66.5%	90.4%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976 9 yrs newer than CT	1976 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 13% below CT	30 minHighest 12% above CT
Work from home	20.5%±6.4Lowest CT: 16%	30.2%±5.3Highest CT: 16%
	Madison 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	#7 of 149 in CT
School district	Regional School District 13	Madison School District
High school in town	Coginchaug Regional High School	Daniel Hand High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.9Lowest	9.8Highest
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.