What stands out worked out from the figures below

East Hampton has the highest household income ($125k).

Meriden has the most affordable homes ($241k 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	East Hampton	Meriden
People
Population	12,925Lowest	60,545Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	0% CT: +0.9%
Median age	43.6±3.7Highest 6% above CT	38.9±1.3Lowest 5% below CT
	East Hampton and Meriden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±3Lowest CT: 20.2%	21.9%±1.6Highest CT: 20.2%
	Meriden and East Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.8%±2.8Highest CT: 18.5%	16.2%±1.2Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39%Highest CT: 42.5%	22.2%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±1.8Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.6%±0.9Highest CT: 7.1%
	Meriden and East Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$124,577±$11kHighest 30% above CT	$71,253±$4kLowest 26% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$349,000±$14kHighest 5% below CT	$241,200±$7kLowest 34% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,393±$150Highest 6% below CT	$1,294±$72Lowest 13% below CT
	East Hampton and Meriden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,681Highest about the CT average	$5,129Lowest 23% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.7%±16.4Lowest CT: 52.6%	53.4%±4.9Highest CT: 52.6%
	Meriden and East Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4%Lowest CT: 10%	13.2%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.5%Highest CT: 66.5%	60.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 10 yrs newer than CT	1960Lowest 7 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 11% above CT	23 minLowest 13% below CT
Work from home	12.7%±2.4Highest CT: 16%	8.6%±1.6Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#75 of 149 in CT	#124 of 149 in CT
School district	East Hampton School District	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Meriden School District
High school in town	East Hampton High School	Francis T. Maloney High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3Lowest	16.2Highest
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.