What stands out worked out from the figures below

Madison has the most affordable homes ($584k median).

Ridgefield has the most expensive homes ($836k 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	Ridgefield
People
Population	17,616Lowest	25,109Highest
Median age	51.9±1.9Highest 26% above CT	45.1±1.4Lowest 10% above CT
Kids under 18	18.1%±2.2Lowest CT: 20.2%	24.8%±2.3Highest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	25.2%±2.4Highest CT: 18.5%	18.7%±1.9Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	72.4%Lowest CT: 42.5%	72.6%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%	4.5%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Madison and Ridgefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$167,442±$16kLowest 75% above CT	$179,219±$12kHighest 87% above CT
	Ridgefield and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$583,900±$30kLowest 59% above CT	$836,200±$26kHighest 128% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,025±$741Lowest 36% above CT	$2,026±$200Highest 36% above CT
	Ridgefield and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,843Lowest 33% above CT	$10,000+Highest at least 51% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44%±12.3Lowest CT: 52.6%	53.3%±12Highest CT: 52.6%
	Ridgefield 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%	3.5%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.4%Highest CT: 66.5%	83.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT	1972Lowest 5 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 12% above CT	33 minHighest 25% above CT
Work from home	30.2%±5.3Highest CT: 16%	29.7%±3.7Lowest CT: 16%
	Madison and Ridgefield 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	#4 of 149 in CT
School district	Madison School District	Ridgefield School District
High school in town	Daniel Hand High School	Ridgefield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	11.4Highest
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.