What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hamden has the most people working from home (16.3%).

Plainville has the most affordable homes ($254k 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	Plainville
People
Population	61,045Highest	17,551Lowest
Median age	38.7±0.9Lowest 6% below CT	44.3±1.5Highest 8% above CT
Kids under 18	17%±1.5Highest CT: 20.2%	15.6%±2.3Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Hamden and Plainville 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%	20.1%±2.8Highest CT: 18.5%
	Plainville 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%Highest CT: 42.5%	30%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±1.1Highest CT: 7.1%	6.2%±1.6Lowest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,306±$7kHighest about the CT average	$84,343±$7kLowest 12% below CT
	Hamden and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$298,200±$9kHighest 19% below CT	$254,000±$14kLowest 31% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,746±$50Highest 17% above CT	$1,126±$147Lowest 24% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,784Highest 17% above CT	$4,798Lowest 28% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.9%±5.4Highest CT: 52.6%	40.3%±12.4Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Hamden and Plainville 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%	6.5%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.4%Lowest CT: 66.5%	67.7%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest 3 yrs older than CT	1971Highest 4 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minHighest 18% below CT	21 minLowest 20% below CT
Work from home	16.3%±2.1Highest CT: 16%	10.7%±2Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#122 of 149 in CT	#89 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Area Cooperative Educational Services	Judicial Centers · Plainville School District
High school in town	Hamden High School	Plainville High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	11.4Lowest
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.