What stands out worked out from the figures below

Griswold has the most affordable homes ($276k median).

Spencer has the most people working from home (15%).

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	Griswold	Spencer
People
Population	11,530Lowest	12,008Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.6% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.1±3.9Lowest 24% above U.S.	48.9±6.8Highest 26% above U.S.
	Spencer and Griswold are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.5%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%	16.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Griswold and Spencer 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%	26%±4.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	29.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.2%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Spencer 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	$80,533±$11kHighest about the U.S. average
	Spencer and Griswold are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$275,900±$42kLowest 17% below U.S.	$382,000±$22kHighest 15% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,177±$65Highest 17% below U.S.	$1,078±$161Lowest 24% below U.S.
	Griswold and Spencer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,628Highest 48% above U.S.	$4,387Lowest 41% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±15.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	50.6%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Griswold and Spencer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	11%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	63%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1968Lowest 12 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 17% above U.S.	34 minHighest 30% above U.S.
Work from home	9%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15%±7.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Spencer and Griswold 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	#118 of 149 in CT	#261 of 282 in MA
School district	Griswold School District	Spencer-E Brookfield
High school in town	Griswold High School	David Prouty High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.5Highest	9.9Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.