What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Waterford has the highest household income ($105k).

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	Waterford
People
Population	17,867Lowest	19,673Highest
Median age	39.5±3Lowest 4% below CT	46±2.4Highest 12% above CT
Kids under 18	19.8%±2.3Highest CT: 20.2%	19.1%±2.5Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Killingly and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.7%±2.4Lowest CT: 18.5%	22.6%±2.1Highest CT: 18.5%
	Waterford and Killingly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%	40.6%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±1.9Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.6%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%
	Waterford 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	$104,820±$9kHighest 9% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$288,600±$15kLowest 21% below CT	$355,900±$14kHighest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,044±$141Lowest 30% below CT	$1,651±$153Highest 11% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,922Lowest 41% below CT	$4,876Highest 27% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.8%±10.9Lowest CT: 52.6%	44.4%±12Highest CT: 52.6%
	Waterford 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%	4.6%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Lowest CT: 66.5%	79.7%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968 1 yr newer than CT	1968 1 yr newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 5% above CT	22 minLowest 18% below CT
Work from home	11.1%±2.3Highest CT: 16%	10.2%±2.2Lowest CT: 16%
	Killingly and Waterford 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	#80 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Eastern Connecticut Regional Educational Service Center (EAS	Learn · Waterford School District
High school in town	Killingly High School	Waterford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1	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.