What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stepney has the most expensive homes ($476k 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	Stepney
People
Population	61,045Highest	3,979Lowest
Median age	38.7±0.9Lowest 6% below CT	47.1±5.6Highest 15% above CT
Kids under 18	17%±1.5Lowest CT: 20.2%	21.1%±5.6Highest CT: 20.2%
	Stepney and Hamden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.1%±1.3Highest CT: 18.5%	17.7%±4.1Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Hamden and Stepney 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%	54.2%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±1.1Highest CT: 7.1%	10.1%±5.4Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Hamden and Stepney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,306±$7kLowest about the CT average	$153,966±$16kHighest 61% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$298,200±$9kLowest 19% below CT	$475,800±$53kHighest 30% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,746±$50Lowest 17% above CT	$2,750±$1kHighest 85% above CT
	Stepney 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	$9,309Highest 40% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.9%±5.4Lowest CT: 52.6%	63.2%±48.8Highest CT: 52.6%
	Stepney 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%	0.8%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.4%Lowest CT: 66.5%	96.4%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest 3 yrs older than CT	1982Highest 15 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 18% below CT	37 minHighest 41% above CT
Work from home	16.3%±2.1Highest CT: 16%	9.8%±4.3Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#122 of 149 in CT	—
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Area Cooperative Educational Services	—
High school in town	Hamden High School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5	—
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.