What stands out worked out from the figures below

Harwinton has the most people working from home (13.5%).

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	Harwinton	Preston
People
Population	5,575Highest	4,821Lowest
Median age	46.1±4.3Lowest 12% above CT	46.2±7Highest 12% above CT
	Preston and Harwinton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20%±4.2Highest CT: 20.2%	18.7%±4.4Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Harwinton and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±3.5Lowest CT: 18.5%	23%±4.7Highest CT: 18.5%
	Preston and Harwinton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.3%Highest CT: 42.5%	28.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.7%±2.9Highest CT: 7.1%	4.9%±2.4Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Harwinton and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$129,643±$18kHighest 35% above CT	$116,648±$27kLowest 22% above CT
	Harwinton and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$352,100±$16kLowest 4% below CT	$361,900±$13kHighest about the CT average
	Preston and Harwinton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,504±$200Highest about the CT average	$1,433±$1kLowest 4% below CT
	Harwinton and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,503Highest 17% below CT	$4,749Lowest 29% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.8%±27.9Lowest CT: 52.6%	52.6%±12.5Highest CT: 52.6%
	Preston and Harwinton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Highest CT: 10%	2.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93%Highest CT: 66.5%	91.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT	1970Highest 3 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 3% below CT	22 minLowest 17% below CT
Work from home	13.5%±4.7Highest CT: 16%	10.3%±6Lowest CT: 16%
	Harwinton and Preston 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	#34 of 149 in CT	#93 of 149 in CT
School district	Regional School District 10	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.