What stands out worked out from the figures below

Kent has the shortest commute (20 min average).

Lyme has the highest household income ($135k).

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	Lyme
People
Population	3,056Highest	2,303Lowest
Median age	55.8±4.3Highest 36% above CT	55.6±3.3Lowest 35% above CT
	Kent and Lyme 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%	13.1%±2.4Highest CT: 20.2%
	Lyme and Kent are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.6%±6.5Lowest CT: 18.5%	30.7%±4.5Highest CT: 18.5%
	Lyme and Kent are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	55.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%	63.5%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.2%±3.2Highest CT: 7.1%	2.2%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$96,064±$16kLowest about the CT average	$135,000±$22kHighest 41% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$470,900±$78kLowest 28% above CT	$629,900±$105kHighest 72% above CT
	Lyme 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	$1,719±$1kHighest 16% above CT
	Lyme and Kent are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,520Lowest 32% below CT	$7,328Highest 10% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.5%±11.1Lowest CT: 52.6%	32.9%±44.3Highest CT: 52.6%
	Lyme and Kent are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9%Highest CT: 10%	2.9%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.9%Lowest CT: 66.5%	90.8%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 4 yrs newer than CT	1967Lowest same as CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 23% below CT	31 minHighest 17% above CT
Work from home	21.5%±6.4Lowest CT: 16%	27.6%±10Highest CT: 16%
	Lyme and Kent 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	—
School district	Kent 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.