What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hamden has the most kids (17% under 18).

Mansfield has the most people working from home (28.3%).

Mansfield is a college town. 57% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Mansfield
People
Population	61,045Highest	25,358Lowest
Median age	38.7±0.9Highest 6% below CT	21.2±0.2Lowest 48% below CT
Kids under 18	17%±1.5Highest CT: 20.2%	9.2%±1.6Lowest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	18.1%±1.3Highest CT: 18.5%	11%±1.5Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.8%Lowest CT: 42.5%	57.9%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±1.1Lowest CT: 7.1%	57%±2.5Highest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,306±$7kHighest about the CT average	$72,393±$12kLowest 24% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$298,200±$9kLowest 19% below CT	$335,400±$20kHighest 9% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,746±$50Highest 17% above CT	$1,602±$104Lowest 8% above CT
	Hamden and Mansfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,784Highest 17% above CT	$5,727Lowest 14% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.9%±5.4Lowest CT: 52.6%	76%±9.6Highest CT: 52.6%
Below poverty line	9.3%Lowest CT: 10%	21.6%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.4%Highest CT: 66.5%	57.3%Lowest 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 minHighest 18% below CT	21 minLowest 22% below CT
Work from home	16.3%±2.1Lowest CT: 16%	28.3%±3.3Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#122 of 149 in CT	#45 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Area Cooperative Educational Services	Regional School District 19 · Mansfield School District
High school in town	Hamden High School	E. O. Smith High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	11.8Lowest
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.