What stands out worked out from the figures below

Kent has the shortest commute (20 min average).

Essex has the most kids (16.2% under 18).

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	Kent	Essex
People
Population	3,056Lowest	6,794Highest
Median age	55.8±4.3Highest 36% above CT	52.4±3.6Lowest 27% above CT
	Kent and Essex are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.2%±3.4Lowest CT: 20.2%	16.2%±3.3Highest CT: 20.2%
	Essex and Kent are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.6%±6.5Highest CT: 18.5%	26.4%±3.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Kent and Essex are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	55.5%Highest CT: 42.5%	54.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.2%±3.2Lowest CT: 7.1%	8.7%±3.7Highest CT: 7.1%
	Essex and Kent are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$96,064±$16kLowest about the CT average	$104,395±$7kHighest 9% above CT
	Essex and Kent are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$470,900±$78kLowest 28% above CT	$552,000±$53kHighest 50% above CT
	Essex and Kent are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$688±$205Lowest 54% below CT	$1,623±$326Highest 9% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,520Lowest 32% below CT	$5,678Highest 15% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.5%±11.1Lowest CT: 52.6%	38.5%±9.7Highest CT: 52.6%
Below poverty line	9%Highest CT: 10%	3.2%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.9%Lowest CT: 66.5%	78.1%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971 4 yrs newer than CT	1971 4 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 23% below CT	27 minHighest 3% above CT
Work from home	21.5%±6.4Highest CT: 16%	19.4%±4.6Lowest CT: 16%
	Kent and Essex 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	#20 of 149 in CT	#33 of 149 in CT
School district	Kent School District	Essex 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.