What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Ridgefield has the most expensive homes ($836k 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	Ridgefield
People
Population	61,045Highest	25,109Lowest
Median age	38.7±0.9Lowest 6% below CT	45.1±1.4Highest 10% above CT
Kids under 18	17%±1.5Lowest CT: 20.2%	24.8%±2.3Highest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	18.1%±1.3Lowest CT: 18.5%	18.7%±1.9Highest CT: 18.5%
	Ridgefield 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%	72.6%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±1.1Highest CT: 7.1%	4.5%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,306±$7kLowest about the CT average	$179,219±$12kHighest 87% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$298,200±$9kLowest 19% below CT	$836,200±$26kHighest 128% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,746±$50Lowest 17% above CT	$2,026±$200Highest 36% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,784Lowest 17% above CT	$10,000+Highest at least 51% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.9%±5.4Lowest CT: 52.6%	53.3%±12Highest CT: 52.6%
	Ridgefield and Hamden 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%	3.5%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.4%Lowest CT: 66.5%	83.5%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest 3 yrs older than CT	1972Highest 5 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 18% below CT	33 minHighest 25% above CT
Work from home	16.3%±2.1Lowest CT: 16%	29.7%±3.7Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#122 of 149 in CT	#4 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Area Cooperative Educational Services	Ridgefield School District
High school in town	Hamden High School	Ridgefield 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.