What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Ridgefield has the most expensive homes ($836k 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	Durham	Ridgefield
People
Population	7,208Lowest	25,109Highest
Median age	45.5±2.8Highest 11% above CT	45.1±1.4Lowest 10% above CT
	Durham and Ridgefield 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%	24.8%±2.3Highest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	17.4%±3.7Lowest CT: 18.5%	18.7%±1.9Highest CT: 18.5%
	Ridgefield 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%	72.6%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.5Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.5%±1.4Highest CT: 7.1%
	Ridgefield 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	$179,219±$12kHighest 87% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$424,800±$23kLowest 16% above CT	$836,200±$26kHighest 128% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,154±$448Lowest 22% below CT	$2,026±$200Highest 36% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,998Lowest 20% above CT	$10,000+Highest at least 51% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.9%±28.4Lowest CT: 52.6%	53.3%±12Highest CT: 52.6%
	Ridgefield and Durham 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%	3.5%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.2%Highest CT: 66.5%	83.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT	1972Lowest 5 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 13% below CT	33 minHighest 25% above CT
Work from home	20.5%±6.4Lowest CT: 16%	29.7%±3.7Highest CT: 16%
	Ridgefield 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	#4 of 149 in CT
School district	Regional School District 13	Ridgefield School District
High school in town	Coginchaug Regional High School	Ridgefield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.9Lowest	11.4Highest
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.