What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lyme has the highest household income ($135k).

Kent has the shortest commute (20 min average).

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	Lyme	Kent
People
Population	2,303Lowest	3,056Highest
Median age	55.6±3.3Lowest 35% above CT	55.8±4.3Highest 36% above CT
	Kent and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.1%±2.4Highest CT: 20.2%	12.2%±3.4Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Lyme and Kent are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.7%±4.5Highest CT: 18.5%	30.6%±6.5Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Lyme and Kent are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	63.5%Highest CT: 42.5%	55.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	7.2%±3.2Highest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$135,000±$22kHighest 41% above CT	$96,064±$16kLowest about the CT average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$629,900±$105kHighest 72% above CT	$470,900±$78kLowest 28% above CT
	Lyme and Kent are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,719±$1kHighest 16% above CT	$688±$205Lowest 54% below CT
	Lyme and Kent are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,328Highest 10% above CT	$4,520Lowest 32% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.9%±44.3Highest CT: 52.6%	11.5%±11.1Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Lyme and Kent are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.9%Lowest CT: 10%	9%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.8%Highest CT: 66.5%	70.9%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest same as CT	1971Highest 4 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 17% above CT	20 minLowest 23% below CT
Work from home	27.6%±10Highest CT: 16%	21.5%±6.4Lowest CT: 16%
	Lyme 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	Regional School District 18	Kent School District
High school in town	None 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.