What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Thompson has the most affordable homes ($292k 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	Thompson
People
Population	17,616Highest	9,337Lowest
Median age	51.9±1.9Lowest 26% above CT	54.1±2.2Highest 32% above CT
	Thompson and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.1%±2.2Highest CT: 20.2%	11.4%±2.8Lowest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	25.2%±2.4Highest CT: 18.5%	24.4%±4.3Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Madison and Thompson 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%	21.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%	2.9%±1.3Lowest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$167,442±$16kHighest 75% above CT	$93,629±$18kLowest about the CT average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$583,900±$30kHighest 59% above CT	$291,900±$24kLowest 20% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,025±$741Highest 36% above CT	$1,012±$344Lowest 32% below CT
	Madison and Thompson 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	$3,822Lowest 42% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44%±12.3Lowest CT: 52.6%	54%±18.7Highest CT: 52.6%
	Thompson and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.6%Lowest CT: 10%	5.9%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.4%Highest CT: 66.5%	84.3%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT	1963Lowest 4 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 12% above CT	32 minHighest 20% above CT
Work from home	30.2%±5.3Highest CT: 16%	13.1%±4.4Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#7 of 149 in CT	#130 of 149 in CT
School district	Madison School District	Thompson School District
High school in town	Daniel Hand High School	Tourtellotte Memorial High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Highest	7.9Lowest
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.