What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hamden has the most renters (37.6% rent).

Bolton has the most homeowners (88%).

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	Hamden	Bolton
People
Population	61,045Highest	4,853Lowest
Median age	38.7±0.9Lowest 6% below CT	43.7±3.3Highest 6% above CT
Kids under 18	17%±1.5Lowest CT: 20.2%	20%±3.6Highest CT: 20.2%
	Bolton and Hamden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.1%±1.3Lowest CT: 18.5%	19.7%±3.4Highest CT: 18.5%
	Bolton and Hamden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.8%Lowest CT: 42.5%	51.3%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±1.1Highest CT: 7.1%	7.7%±2.6Lowest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,306±$7kLowest about the CT average	$126,364±$19kHighest 32% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$298,200±$9kLowest 19% below CT	$367,600±$17kHighest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,746±$50Highest 17% above CT	$1,127±$55Lowest 24% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,784Lowest 17% above CT	$8,091Highest 22% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.9%±5.4Highest CT: 52.6%	39.8%±30.8Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Hamden and Bolton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.3%Highest CT: 10%	7.2%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.4%Lowest CT: 66.5%	88%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest 3 yrs older than CT	1969Highest 2 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 18% below CT	25 minHighest 6% below CT
Work from home	16.3%±2.1Lowest CT: 16%	20.7%±4.6Highest CT: 16%
	Bolton and Hamden 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	#122 of 149 in CT	#79 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Area Cooperative Educational Services	Bolton School District
High school in town	Hamden High School	Bolton High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	7.4Lowest
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.