What stands out worked out from the figures below

Fairfield has the most expensive homes ($781k median).

Farmington has the most affordable homes ($433k 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	Fairfield	Farmington
People
Population	63,416Highest	27,134Lowest
Median age	40.1±0.9Lowest about the CT average	43.5±1.4Highest 6% above CT
Kids under 18	24%±1.3Highest CT: 20.2%	19.9%±2.1Lowest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	16.6%±1Lowest CT: 18.5%	20.4%±1.8Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	71.1%Highest CT: 42.5%	68.3%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11%±0.7Highest CT: 7.1%	6.6%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$172,432±$8kHighest 80% above CT	$141,120±$10kLowest 47% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$780,500±$32kHighest 113% above CT	$432,700±$14kLowest 18% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,185±$134Highest 47% above CT	$1,807±$82Lowest 21% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 51% above CT	$6,771Lowest about the CT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.5%±7.7Highest CT: 52.6%	51.1%±7.5Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Fairfield and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Highest CT: 10%	4.2%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.3%Highest CT: 66.5%	74.4%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 7 yrs older than CT	1980Highest 13 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 24% above CT	24 minLowest 10% below CT
Work from home	28.4%±1.9Highest CT: 16%	22.1%±2.8Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#21 of 149 in CT	#12 of 149 in CT
School district	Fairfield School District	Farmington School District
High school in town	Fairfield Ludlowe High School	Farmington High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Lowest	11.8Highest
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.