Compare towns
Foster vs Willimantic vs Windham
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Foster has the most people working from home (17.7%).
Willimantic has the most renters (65.1% rent).
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.
| Measure | Foster | Willimantic | Windham |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 4,523Lowest |
18,096 |
23,961Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+2.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
— |
| Median age | 47.1±3Highest 21% above U.S. |
31.3±2.7Lowest 20% below U.S. |
33.7±1.9 13% below U.S. |
| Kids under 18 | 18.7%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 22% |
20.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22% |
20.1%±2.4 U.S.: 22% |
| Willimantic and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 18.5%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
11%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
14.3%±1.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Foster and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
24.2% U.S.: 35.7% |
22.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
19.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
15.2%±1.8 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Willimantic and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $113,646±$18kHighest 41% above U.S. |
$45,962±$7kLowest 43% below U.S. |
$55,736±$5k 31% below U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $425,300±$30kHighest 28% above U.S. |
$190,900±$17kLowest 43% below U.S. |
$209,800±$9k 37% below U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,509±$556Highest 7% above U.S. |
$1,063±$68Lowest 25% below U.S. |
$1,107±$69 22% below U.S. |
| Foster and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $7,135Highest 129% above U.S. |
$4,678 50% above U.S. |
$4,633Lowest 49% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 65.8%±25.5Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
55.9%±8.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
57.1%±8.1 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Foster and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
23.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
20.7% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 91.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
34.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
47.4% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S. |
1953Lowest 27 yrs older than U.S. |
1956 24 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 33 minHighest 26% above U.S. |
23 minLowest 12% below U.S. |
24 min 8% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 17.7%±4.9Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
6.2%±2 U.S.: 15.1% |
6.1%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #22 of 38 in RI | — | #143 of 149 in CT |
| School district | Foster | — | Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Eastern Connecticut Regional Educational Service Center (EAS |
| High school in town | None in town | — | Windham High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 9.8 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet |
U.S. 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.