What stands out worked out from the figures below

Madison has the highest household income ($167k).

Washington has the shortest commute (26 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	Madison	Washington
People
Population	17,616Highest	3,676Lowest
Median age	51.9±1.9Highest 26% above CT	49.9±5.5Lowest 21% above CT
	Madison and Washington 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%	19%±4.7Highest CT: 20.2%
	Washington 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%	26.9%±5.3Highest CT: 18.5%
	Washington 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%	53.7%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.5Lowest CT: 7.1%	6.4%±3.3Highest CT: 7.1%
	Washington and Madison 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	$101,549±$16kLowest 6% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$583,900±$30kLowest 59% above CT	$660,200±$130kHighest 80% above CT
	Washington and Madison 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	$1,204±$264Lowest 19% below CT
	Madison and Washington 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	$4,709Lowest 29% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44%±12.3Highest CT: 52.6%	26.1%±24Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Madison and Washington 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%	9%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.4%Highest CT: 66.5%	79%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT	1971Lowest 4 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 12% above CT	26 minLowest 4% below CT
Work from home	30.2%±5.3Highest CT: 16%	20.1%±9Lowest CT: 16%
	Madison and Washington 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	#17 of 149 in CT
School district	Madison School District	Regional School District 12
High school in town	Daniel Hand High School	Shepaug Valley School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Highest	9.1Lowest
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.