What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stafford has the most affordable homes ($264k 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	Ellington	Stafford
People
Population	16,455Highest	11,511Lowest
Median age	40.9±2.4Lowest about the CT average	46.7±4.8Highest 14% above CT
	Stafford and Ellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24%±3.2Highest CT: 20.2%	21.5%±3.1Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Ellington and Stafford 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%	22%±3Highest CT: 18.5%
	Stafford 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%	28.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6%±2.2Highest CT: 7.1%	3.5%±1.3Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Ellington and Stafford 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	$93,235±$16kLowest about the CT average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$366,900±$17kHighest about the CT average	$263,800±$22kLowest 28% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,737±$212Highest 17% above CT	$1,086±$85Lowest 27% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,751Highest about the CT average	$5,131Lowest 23% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.5%±10.3Highest CT: 52.6%	41.5%±12.2Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Ellington and Stafford 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%	7.4%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%	79.5%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 15 yrs newer than CT	1970Lowest 3 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 18% above CT	26 minLowest about the CT average
Work from home	18.4%±3.9Highest CT: 16%	11%±3.5Lowest CT: 16%
	Ellington and Stafford 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	#96 of 149 in CT
School district	Ellington School District	Stafford School District
High school in town	Ellington High School	Stafford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Highest	9.8Lowest
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.