What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ellington has the most people working from home (18.4%).

Berlin has the shortest commute (21 min average).

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	Ellington	Berlin
People
Population	16,455Lowest	20,361Highest
Median age	40.9±2.4Lowest about the CT average	48.7±3Highest 18% above CT
Kids under 18	24%±3.2Highest CT: 20.2%	19.4%±2.7Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Ellington and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.8%±2.8Lowest CT: 18.5%	23.5%±3.1Highest CT: 18.5%
	Berlin and Ellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	51.4%Highest CT: 42.5%	44.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6%±2.2Lowest CT: 7.1%	7.2%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%
	Berlin and Ellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$129,913±$17kHighest 36% above CT	$113,598±$11kLowest 19% above CT
	Ellington and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$366,900±$17kLowest about the CT average	$374,600±$13kHighest about the CT average
	Berlin and Ellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,737±$212Highest 17% above CT	$1,402±$88Lowest 6% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,751Lowest about the CT average	$7,291Highest 10% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.5%±10.3Lowest CT: 52.6%	63.4%±11.3Highest CT: 52.6%
	Berlin and Ellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.4%Lowest CT: 10%	3.4%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%	82.6%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 15 yrs newer than CT	1972Lowest 5 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 18% above CT	21 minLowest 21% below CT
Work from home	18.4%±3.9Highest CT: 16%	14.4%±4.6Lowest CT: 16%
	Ellington and Berlin 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	#46 of 149 in CT	#73 of 149 in CT
School district	Ellington School District	Berlin School District
High school in town	Ellington High School	Berlin High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	11.5Highest
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.