What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hamden has the most affordable homes ($298k median).

Madison has the most expensive homes ($584k 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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Hamden	Madison
People
Population	61,045Highest	17,616Lowest
Median age	38.7±0.9Lowest 6% below CT	51.9±1.9Highest 26% above CT
Kids under 18	17%±1.5Lowest CT: 20.2%	18.1%±2.2Highest CT: 20.2%
	Madison 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%	25.2%±2.4Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.8%Lowest CT: 42.5%	72.4%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±1.1Highest CT: 7.1%	5.9%±1.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,306±$7kLowest about the CT average	$167,442±$16kHighest 75% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$298,200±$9kLowest 19% below CT	$583,900±$30kHighest 59% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,746±$50Lowest 17% above CT	$2,025±$741Highest 36% above CT
	Madison and Hamden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,784Lowest 17% above CT	$8,843Highest 33% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.9%±5.4Highest CT: 52.6%	44%±12.3Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Hamden and Madison 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%	3.6%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.4%Lowest CT: 66.5%	90.4%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest 3 yrs older than CT	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 18% below CT	30 minHighest 12% above CT
Work from home	16.3%±2.1Lowest CT: 16%	30.2%±5.3Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#122 of 149 in CT	#7 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Area Cooperative Educational Services	Madison School District
High school in town	Hamden High School	Daniel Hand High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	9.8Lowest
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.