What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hartland has the most people working from home (22%).

Preston has the shortest commute (22 min average).

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	Hartland	Preston
People
Population	1,840Lowest	4,821Highest
Median age	48.8±4.9Highest 19% above CT	46.2±7Lowest 12% above CT
	Hartland and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16%±3.4Lowest CT: 20.2%	18.7%±4.4Highest CT: 20.2%
	Preston and Hartland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.9%±3.2Lowest CT: 18.5%	23%±4.7Highest CT: 18.5%
	Preston and Hartland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.9%Highest CT: 42.5%	28.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.9%±2.4Highest CT: 7.1%
	Preston and Hartland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$113,375±$13kLowest 18% above CT	$116,648±$27kHighest 22% above CT
	Preston and Hartland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$350,700±$21kLowest 4% below CT	$361,900±$13kHighest about the CT average
	Preston and Hartland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,819±$478Highest 22% above CT	$1,433±$1kLowest 4% below CT
	Hartland and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,633Highest 15% below CT	$4,749Lowest 29% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±54.9Lowest CT: 52.6%	52.6%±12.5Highest CT: 52.6%
	Preston and Hartland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Highest CT: 10%	2.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.7% CT: 66.5%	91.7% CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 7 yrs older than CT	1970Highest 3 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 32% above CT	22 minLowest 17% below CT
Work from home	22%±4.6Highest CT: 16%	10.3%±6Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#93 of 149 in CT
School district	Hartland School District	Preston School District
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.