What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Guilford has the most kids (20.8% under 18).

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	Guilford
People
Population	17,616Lowest	22,108Highest
Median age	51.9±1.9Highest 26% above CT	51.1±1.9Lowest 24% above CT
	Madison and Guilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.1%±2.2Lowest CT: 20.2%	20.8%±2.4Highest CT: 20.2%
	Guilford and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±2.4Lowest CT: 18.5%	26.6%±2.7Highest CT: 18.5%
	Guilford and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	72.4%Highest CT: 42.5%	60.6%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%	3.7%±1Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Madison and Guilford 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	$137,816±$11kLowest 44% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$583,900±$30kHighest 59% above CT	$515,800±$40kLowest 41% above CT
	Madison and Guilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,025±$741Highest 36% above CT	$1,717±$128Lowest 15% above CT
	Madison and Guilford 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	$8,744Lowest 32% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44%±12.3Lowest CT: 52.6%	47.4%±9Highest CT: 52.6%
	Guilford 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%	2.8%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.4%Highest CT: 66.5%	83.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT	1974Lowest 7 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 12% above CT	26 minLowest about the CT average
Work from home	30.2%±5.3Highest CT: 16%	21.7%±3.3Lowest CT: 16%
	Madison and Guilford 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	#15 of 149 in CT
School district	Madison School District	Guilford School District
High school in town	Daniel Hand High School	Guilford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	11.8Highest
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.