What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wakefield has the most people working from home (24.6%).

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	Griswold	Wakefield
People
Population	11,530Lowest	27,793Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+8.7% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.1±3.9Highest 24% above U.S.	42.4±1.7Lowest 9% above U.S.
Kids under 18	18.5%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	20%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wakefield and Griswold 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%	19%±1.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wakefield and Griswold 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%	59.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,719±$11kLowest about the U.S. average	$134,306±$14kHighest 66% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$275,900±$42kLowest 17% below U.S.	$723,500±$24kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,177±$65Lowest 17% below U.S.	$1,958±$102Highest 39% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,628Lowest 48% above U.S.	$7,779Highest 149% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±15.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	43.7%±7.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Griswold and Wakefield 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%	4.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 17% above U.S.	33 minHighest 26% above U.S.
Work from home	9%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#118 of 149 in CT	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	Griswold School District	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	Griswold High School	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	11.5Highest	10.7Lowest
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.