What stands out worked out from the figures below

Madison has the most people working from home (30.2%).

Durham has the most affordable homes ($425k 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	Madison	Durham
People
Population	17,616Highest	7,208Lowest
Median age	51.9±1.9Highest 26% above CT	45.5±2.8Lowest 11% above CT
Kids under 18	18.1%±2.2Highest CT: 20.2%	16.4%±3.6Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Madison and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±2.4Highest CT: 18.5%	17.4%±3.7Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	72.4%Highest CT: 42.5%	47.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%	3.6%±1.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Madison and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$167,442±$16kHighest 75% above CT	$158,857±$7kLowest 66% above CT
	Madison and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$583,900±$30kHighest 59% above CT	$424,800±$23kLowest 16% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,025±$741Highest 36% above CT	$1,154±$448Lowest 22% below CT
	Madison and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,843Highest 33% above CT	$7,998Lowest 20% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44%±12.3Lowest CT: 52.6%	44.9%±28.4Highest CT: 52.6%
	Durham and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.6%Highest CT: 10%	3.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.4%Lowest CT: 66.5%	93.2%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976 9 yrs newer than CT	1976 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 12% above CT	23 minLowest 13% below CT
Work from home	30.2%±5.3Highest CT: 16%	20.5%±6.4Lowest CT: 16%
	Madison and Durham 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	#7 of 149 in CT	#88 of 149 in CT
School district	Madison School District	Regional School District 13
High school in town	Daniel Hand High School	Coginchaug Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Highest	8.9Lowest
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.