Compare towns
Griswold vs Nelson vs Stafford
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Griswold has the most renters (26.7% rent).
Nelson has the most people working from home (31.5%).
Stafford has the most affordable homes ($264k 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.
| Measure | Griswold | Nelson | Stafford |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 11,530Highest |
648Lowest |
11,511 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | -13.7% U.S.: +7.4% |
— |
| Median age | 48.1±3.9Highest 24% above U.S. |
42.3±11.7Lowest 9% above U.S. |
46.7±4.8 20% above U.S. |
| Griswold and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 18.5%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22% |
27.5%±6.6Highest U.S.: 22% |
21.5%±3.1 U.S.: 22% |
| Nelson and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 17.8%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
24.8%±2Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
22%±3 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Nelson and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 19.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
61.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
28.5% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.8%±1.1 U.S.: 6.4% |
0.9%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
3.5%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Stafford and Griswold are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $78,719±$11kLowest about the U.S. average |
$99,792±$23kHighest 24% above U.S. |
$93,235±$16k 15% above U.S. |
| Nelson and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $275,900±$42k 17% below U.S. |
$340,900±$49kHighest about the U.S. average |
$263,800±$22kLowest 21% below U.S. |
| Nelson and Griswold are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,177±$65 17% below U.S. |
$1,203±$243Highest 15% below U.S. |
$1,086±$85Lowest 23% below U.S. |
| Nelson and Griswold are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,628Lowest 48% above U.S. |
$5,575Highest 79% above U.S. |
$5,131 65% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 57.5%±15.5Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
40%±68.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
41.5%±12.2 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Griswold and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 7.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
1.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
7.4% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 73.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
90.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
79.5% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S. |
1975 5 yrs older than U.S. |
1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 minHighest 17% above U.S. |
24 minLowest 8% below U.S. |
26 min about the U.S. average |
| Work from home | 9%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
31.5%±8Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
11%±3.5 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #118 of 149 in CT | — | #96 of 149 in CT |
| School district | Griswold School District | Nelson School District | Stafford School District |
| High school in town | Griswold High School | None in town | Stafford High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.5Highest |
— | 9.8Lowest |
| 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.