What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hampton has the most affordable homes ($296k median).

Lyme has the most expensive homes ($630k 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	Hampton	Lyme
People
Population	1,647Lowest	2,303Highest
Median age	51.5±5.3Lowest 25% above CT	55.6±3.3Highest 35% above CT
	Lyme and Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.7%±5.3Highest CT: 20.2%	13.1%±2.4Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Hampton and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.1%±2.1Lowest CT: 18.5%	30.7%±4.5Highest CT: 18.5%
	Lyme and Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%	63.5%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±1.1Lowest CT: 7.1%	2.2%±1.4Highest CT: 7.1%
	Lyme and Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$109,167±$19kLowest 14% above CT	$135,000±$22kHighest 41% above CT
	Lyme and Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$295,800±$27kLowest 19% below CT	$629,900±$105kHighest 72% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,285±$288Lowest 14% below CT	$1,719±$1kHighest 16% above CT
	Lyme and Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,364Lowest 34% below CT	$7,328Highest 10% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.5%±51.5Highest CT: 52.6%	32.9%±44.3Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Hampton and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Highest CT: 10%	2.9%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90%Lowest CT: 66.5%	90.8%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 13 yrs newer than CT	1967Lowest same as CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 9% above CT	31 minHighest 17% above CT
Work from home	17.7%±5.1Lowest CT: 16%	27.6%±10Highest CT: 16%
	Lyme and Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Hampton School District	Regional School District 18
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.