What stands out worked out from the figures below

Killingly has the most affordable homes ($289k median).

Bridgewater has the most expensive homes ($693k median).

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	Killingly	Bridgewater
People
Population	17,867Highest	1,658Lowest
Median age	39.5±3Lowest 4% below CT	55.9±4.4Highest 36% above CT
Kids under 18	19.8%±2.3Highest CT: 20.2%	14.4%±2.9Lowest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	19.7%±2.4Lowest CT: 18.5%	37%±6.6Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%	59.3%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±1.9Lowest CT: 7.1%	6.8%±5.3Highest CT: 7.1%
	Bridgewater and Killingly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,350±$8kLowest 12% below CT	$159,365±$5kHighest 66% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$288,600±$15kLowest 21% below CT	$693,000±$75kHighest 89% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,044±$141Lowest 30% below CT	$1,467±$233Highest about the CT average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,922Lowest 41% below CT	$6,869Highest 3% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.8%±10.9Lowest CT: 52.6%	47.8%±43Highest CT: 52.6%
	Bridgewater and Killingly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.4%Highest CT: 10%	3%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Lowest CT: 66.5%	92.1%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 1 yr newer than CT	1975Highest 8 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 5% above CT	29 minHighest 11% above CT
Work from home	11.1%±2.3Lowest CT: 16%	25.2%±5Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#136 of 149 in CT	—
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Eastern Connecticut Regional Educational Service Center (EAS	Regional School District 12
High school in town	Killingly High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1	—
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.