What stands out worked out from the figures below

Franklin has the shortest commute (27 min average).

Sterling has the most people working from home (11.6%).

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	Sterling
People
Population	2,004Lowest	3,629Highest
Median age	40.3±4.3Highest about the CT average	39.4±5.9Lowest 4% below CT
	Franklin and Sterling 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%	22.8%±5.9Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Franklin and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.4%±1.9Highest CT: 18.5%	13%±3.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Franklin and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.8%Highest CT: 42.5%	18%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.4Highest CT: 7.1%	3.7%±1.9Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Franklin and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$105,000±$10kHighest 10% above CT	$102,695±$12kLowest 7% above CT
	Franklin and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$326,200±$20kHighest 11% below CT	$283,400±$17kLowest 23% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$767±$529 48% below CT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,934Lowest 41% below CT	$4,551Highest 31% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	19.5%±18.4Lowest CT: 52.6%	32%±18.1Highest CT: 52.6%
	Sterling 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%	8.3%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.1%Highest CT: 66.5%	81.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 6 yrs newer than CT	1988Highest 21 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the CT average	35 minHighest 34% above CT
Work from home	6.8%±2.4Lowest CT: 16%	11.6%±6.4Highest CT: 16%
	Sterling and Franklin 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	—	#119 of 149 in CT
School district	Franklin School District	Sterling 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.