What stands out worked out from the figures below

Franklin has the most kids (27.2% under 18).

Ashford has the most people working from home (19.3%).

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	Franklin	Ashford
People
Population	2,004Lowest	4,226Highest
Median age	40.3±4.3Highest about the CT average	37.9±10.3Lowest 8% below CT
	Franklin and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	27.2%±5.9Highest CT: 20.2%	18.5%±5.5Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Franklin and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.4%±1.9Lowest CT: 18.5%	18.9%±3.7Highest CT: 18.5%
	Ashford and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.8%Lowest CT: 42.5%	35.3%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.4%±1.7Highest CT: 7.1%
	Ashford and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$105,000±$10kLowest 10% above CT	$121,926±$23kHighest 27% above CT
	Ashford and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$326,200±$20kLowest 11% below CT	$334,800±$18kHighest 9% below CT
	Ashford and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$767±$529Lowest 48% below CT	$1,246±$208Highest 16% below CT
	Ashford and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,934Lowest 41% below CT	$6,982Highest 5% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	19.5%±18.4Lowest CT: 52.6%	47%±26Highest CT: 52.6%
	Ashford and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.7%Highest CT: 10%	5.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.1%Highest CT: 66.5%	76.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 6 yrs newer than CT	1982Highest 15 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the CT average	34 minHighest 30% above CT
Work from home	6.8%±2.4Lowest CT: 16%	19.3%±5.5Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#90 of 149 in CT
School district	Franklin School District	Ashford School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.