What stands out worked out from the figures below

Meriden has the most affordable homes ($241k median).

Wallingford has the most people working from home (13.3%).

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	Meriden	Wallingford
People
Population	60,545Highest	44,362Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	0% CT: +0.9%	—
Median age	38.9±1.3Lowest 5% below CT	42.6±1.8Highest 4% above CT
Kids under 18	21.9%±1.6Highest CT: 20.2%	18.8%±1.9Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Meriden and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.2%±1.2Lowest CT: 18.5%	21.2%±1.7Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.2%Lowest CT: 42.5%	40.4%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±0.9Lowest CT: 7.1%	6%±1Highest CT: 7.1%
	Wallingford and Meriden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,253±$4kLowest 26% below CT	$104,773±$5kHighest 9% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$241,200±$7kLowest 34% below CT	$353,100±$8kHighest 4% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,294±$72Lowest 13% below CT	$1,374±$84Highest 8% below CT
	Wallingford and Meriden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,129Lowest 23% below CT	$5,963Highest 10% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.4%±4.9Highest CT: 52.6%	42.9%±8.9Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Meriden and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.2%Highest CT: 10%	5.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	60.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%	72.8%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 7 yrs older than CT	1972Highest 5 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 13% below CT	24 minHighest 8% below CT
Work from home	8.6%±1.6Lowest CT: 16%	13.3%±2Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#124 of 149 in CT	#108 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Meriden School District	Wallingford School District
High school in town	Francis T. Maloney High School	Lyman Hall High School
Students per teacherat that high school	16.2Highest	10.5Lowest
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.