What stands out worked out from the figures below

East Hampton has the most expensive homes ($349k median).

Sterling has the most affordable homes ($283k 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	Sterling
People
Population	12,925Highest	3,629Lowest
Median age	43.6±3.7Highest 6% above CT	39.4±5.9Lowest 4% below CT
	East Hampton and Sterling 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%	22.8%±5.9Highest CT: 20.2%
	Sterling 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%	13%±3.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39%Highest CT: 42.5%	18%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±1.8Highest CT: 7.1%	3.7%±1.9Lowest CT: 7.1%
	East Hampton and Sterling 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	$102,695±$12kLowest 7% above CT
	East Hampton and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$349,000±$14kHighest 5% below CT	$283,400±$17kLowest 23% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,393±$150 6% below CT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,681Highest about the CT average	$4,551Lowest 31% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.7%±16.4Highest CT: 52.6%	32%±18.1Lowest CT: 52.6%
	East Hampton and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4%Lowest CT: 10%	8.3%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.5%Highest CT: 66.5%	81.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 10 yrs newer than CT	1988Highest 21 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 11% above CT	35 minHighest 34% above CT
Work from home	12.7%±2.4Highest CT: 16%	11.6%±6.4Lowest CT: 16%
	East Hampton and Sterling 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	#75 of 149 in CT	#119 of 149 in CT
School district	East Hampton School District	Sterling School District
High school in town	East Hampton High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3	—
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.