What stands out worked out from the figures below

Killingly has the highest household income ($84k).

Waterbury has the most renters (52.8% rent).

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	Waterbury
People
Population	17,867Lowest	114,869Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.7% CT: +0.9%
Median age	39.5±3Highest 4% below CT	37.8±1.3Lowest 8% below CT
	Killingly and Waterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.8%±2.3Lowest CT: 20.2%	23.2%±1.2Highest CT: 20.2%
	Waterbury and Killingly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.7%±2.4Highest CT: 18.5%	15.3%±0.9Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.9%Highest CT: 42.5%	17.3%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±1.9Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.8%±0.7Highest CT: 7.1%
	Waterbury 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±$8kHighest 12% below CT	$51,886±$2kLowest 46% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$288,600±$15kHighest 21% below CT	$208,500±$6kLowest 43% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,044±$141Lowest 30% below CT	$1,225±$38Highest 18% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,922Lowest 41% below CT	$5,449Highest 18% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.8%±10.9Lowest CT: 52.6%	58.6%±4.2Highest CT: 52.6%
Below poverty line	11.4%Lowest CT: 10%	24.7%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Highest CT: 66.5%	47.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 1 yr newer than CT	1959Lowest 8 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 5% above CT	28 minHighest 6% above CT
Work from home	11.1%±2.3Highest CT: 16%	8.3%±1.3Lowest CT: 16%
	Killingly and Waterbury 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	#136 of 149 in CT	#144 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Eastern Connecticut Regional Educational Service Center (EAS	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Area Cooperative Educational Services
High school in town	Killingly High School	Crosby High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Lowest	17.0Highest
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.