What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wallingford has the most expensive homes ($353k 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	Wallingford
People
Population	61,045Highest	44,362Lowest
Median age	38.7±0.9Lowest 6% below CT	42.6±1.8Highest 4% above CT
Kids under 18	17%±1.5Lowest CT: 20.2%	18.8%±1.9Highest CT: 20.2%
	Wallingford 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%	21.2%±1.7Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.8%Highest CT: 42.5%	40.4%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±1.1Highest CT: 7.1%	6%±1Lowest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,306±$7kLowest about the CT average	$104,773±$5kHighest 9% above CT
	Wallingford and Hamden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$298,200±$9kLowest 19% below CT	$353,100±$8kHighest 4% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,746±$50Highest 17% above CT	$1,374±$84Lowest 8% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,784Highest 17% above CT	$5,963Lowest 10% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.9%±5.4Highest CT: 52.6%	42.9%±8.9Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Hamden and Wallingford 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%	5.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.4%Lowest CT: 66.5%	72.8%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	24 minHighest 8% below CT
Work from home	16.3%±2.1Highest CT: 16%	13.3%±2Lowest CT: 16%
	Hamden and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#122 of 149 in CT	#108 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Area Cooperative Educational Services	Wallingford School District
High school in town	Hamden High School	Lyman Hall High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	10.5Lowest
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.