What stands out worked out from the figures below

Kent has the most affordable homes ($471k median).

Madison Center has the highest household income ($178k).

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	Madison Center
People
Population	3,056Highest	1,981Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-1.7% CT: +0.9%
Median age	55.8±4.3Lowest 36% above CT	60.4±6.3Highest 47% above CT
	Madison Center and Kent 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%	12.4%±4.6Highest CT: 20.2%
	Madison Center 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%	35.5%±5.5Highest CT: 18.5%
	Madison Center 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%	73.3%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.2%±3.2 CT: 7.1%	7.2%±5.5 CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$96,064±$16kLowest about the CT average	$178,194±$59kHighest 86% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$470,900±$78kLowest 28% above CT	$841,800±$105kHighest 129% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$688±$205Lowest 54% below CT	$1,914±$1kHighest 29% above CT
	Madison Center 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	$10,000+Highest at least 51% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.5%±11.1Lowest CT: 52.6%	41.6%±16.1Highest CT: 52.6%
Below poverty line	9%Highest CT: 10%	8.1%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.9%Highest CT: 66.5%	61.2%Lowest 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	25 minHighest 5% below CT
Work from home	21.5%±6.4Lowest CT: 16%	27.2%±10.1Highest CT: 16%
	Madison Center 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	—
High school 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.