What stands out worked out from the figures below

Milford has the most affordable homes ($417k median).

Redding has the most people working from home (32.5%).

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	Milford	Redding
People
Population	52,684Highest	8,780Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.4% CT: +0.9%	—
Median age	46.6±1.4Lowest 13% above CT	52±2Highest 27% above CT
Kids under 18	17.2%±1.4Lowest CT: 20.2%	19.1%±2.8Highest CT: 20.2%
	Redding and Milford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±1.5Lowest CT: 18.5%	26.4%±3.3Highest CT: 18.5%
	Redding and Milford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%	72.1%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±0.7Highest CT: 7.1%	3.8%±1.8Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Milford and Redding are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,669±$7kLowest 16% above CT	$186,060±$15kHighest 94% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$416,800±$9kLowest 14% above CT	$706,300±$33kHighest 93% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,882±$80Lowest 26% above CT	$2,101±$304Highest 41% above CT
	Redding and Milford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,694Lowest about the CT average	$10,000+Highest at least 51% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.3%±7.3Lowest CT: 52.6%	64.9%±19.3Highest CT: 52.6%
	Redding and Milford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.1%Highest CT: 10%	4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%	91.6%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1965Lowest 2 yrs older than CT	1972Highest 5 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 4% below CT	36 minHighest 36% above CT
Work from home	17.7%±1.8Lowest CT: 16%	32.5%±4.9Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#98 of 149 in CT	#14 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Milford School District	Redding School District · Regional School District 09
High school in town	Jonathan Law High School	Joel Barlow High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Lowest	11.1Highest
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.