What stands out worked out from the figures below

Goshen has the most expensive homes ($482k median).

Sterling has the most kids (22.8% under 18).

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	Goshen	Sterling
People
Population	3,196Lowest	3,629Highest
Median age	51.4±3.6Highest 25% above CT	39.4±5.9Lowest 4% below CT
Kids under 18	15.3%±3.9Lowest CT: 20.2%	22.8%±5.9Highest CT: 20.2%
	Sterling and Goshen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.8%±5.4Highest CT: 18.5%	13%±3.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	56.7%Highest CT: 42.5%	18%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.8Lowest CT: 7.1%	3.7%±1.9Highest CT: 7.1%
	Sterling and Goshen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$152,093±$27kHighest 59% above CT	$102,695±$12kLowest 7% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$482,400±$71kHighest 31% above CT	$283,400±$17kLowest 23% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,250±$724 16% below CT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,292Highest 20% below CT	$4,551Lowest 31% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.8%±25.1Lowest CT: 52.6%	32%±18.1Highest CT: 52.6%
	Sterling and Goshen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.5%Lowest CT: 10%	8.3%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.3%Highest CT: 66.5%	81.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Lowest 18 yrs newer than CT	1988Highest 21 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	42 minHighest 58% above CT	35 minLowest 34% above CT
Work from home	13.4%±5.9Highest CT: 16%	11.6%±6.4Lowest CT: 16%
	Goshen and Sterling 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	Regional School District 20	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.