What stands out worked out from the figures below

Manchester has the most people working from home (14.3%).

West Haven has the most expensive 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	Manchester	West Haven
People
Population	59,635Highest	55,351Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	0% CT: +0.9%
Median age	37±1.2Highest 10% below CT	35.8±1.5Lowest 13% below CT
	Manchester and West Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20%±1.6Lowest CT: 20.2%	20.3%±1.9Highest CT: 20.2%
	West Haven and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.5%±1.2Lowest CT: 18.5%	16%±1.3Highest CT: 18.5%
	West Haven and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.5%Highest CT: 42.5%	30.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±0.7Lowest CT: 7.1%	13.6%±1.6Highest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,840±$4kHighest 9% below CT	$74,382±$5kLowest 22% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$247,100±$6kLowest 33% below CT	$291,700±$9kHighest 20% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,519±$66Highest about the CT average	$1,442±$43Lowest 3% below CT
	Manchester and West Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,652Lowest 15% below CT	$6,941Highest 4% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.1%±6.1Lowest CT: 52.6%	53.4%±5.8Highest CT: 52.6%
	West Haven and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.8%Lowest CT: 10%	14.1%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	56.9%Highest CT: 66.5%	50.6%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Highest 5 yrs older than CT	1959Lowest 8 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below CT	23 minHighest 14% below CT
Work from home	14.3%±1.9Highest CT: 16%	9.2%±1.4Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#135 of 149 in CT	#120 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Odyssey Community School District	New Haven School District · West Haven School District
High school in town	Manchester High School	West Haven High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Lowest	15.6Highest
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.