What stands out worked out from the figures below

Killingly has the shortest commute (28 min average).

Winchendon has the most expensive homes ($324k 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	Winchendon
People
Population	17,867Highest	10,440Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+0.6% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	39.5±3Lowest about the U.S. average	39.6±1.9Highest about the U.S. average
	Winchendon and Killingly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.8%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.8%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Winchendon 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 U.S.: 17.2%	16.9%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Killingly and Winchendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	21.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Killingly and Winchendon 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 4% above U.S.	$75,690±$14kLowest 6% below U.S.
	Killingly and Winchendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$288,600±$15kLowest 13% below U.S.	$323,800±$19kHighest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,044±$141Lowest 26% below U.S.	$1,255±$163Highest 11% below U.S.
	Winchendon and Killingly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,922Highest 26% above U.S.	$3,780Lowest 21% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.8%±10.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	61.7%±17.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Winchendon and Killingly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	18.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	76.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 12 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 6% above U.S.	32 minHighest 23% above U.S.
Work from home	11.1%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	11.2%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Winchendon and Killingly 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	#269 of 282 in MA
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Eastern Connecticut Regional Educational Service Center (EAS	Winchendon
High school in town	Killingly High School	Murdock High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Lowest	11.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.