What stands out worked out from the figures below

Milford has the most people working from home (17.7%).

Stratford has the most affordable homes ($372k 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	Milford	Stratford
People
Population	52,684Lowest	52,790Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.4% CT: +0.9%	—
Median age	46.6±1.4Highest 13% above CT	45.7±1.4Lowest 11% above CT
	Milford and Stratford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±1.4Lowest CT: 20.2%	18.3%±1.3Highest CT: 20.2%
	Stratford and Milford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±1.5Highest CT: 18.5%	20.7%±1.6Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Milford and Stratford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50.5%Highest CT: 42.5%	37.7%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±0.7Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.9%±1Highest CT: 7.1%
	Stratford and Milford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,669±$7kHighest 16% above CT	$95,815±$7kLowest about the CT average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$416,800±$9kHighest 14% above CT	$372,200±$8kLowest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,882±$80Highest 26% above CT	$1,706±$75Lowest 15% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,694Lowest about the CT average	$7,420Highest 12% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.3%±7.3Lowest CT: 52.6%	59.3%±7.7Highest CT: 52.6%
	Stratford and Milford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.1%Lowest CT: 10%	6.7%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%	81.6%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1965Highest 2 yrs older than CT	1958Lowest 9 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 4% below CT	30 minHighest 13% above CT
Work from home	17.7%±1.8Highest CT: 16%	14.6%±1.9Lowest CT: 16%
	Milford and Stratford 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	#98 of 149 in CT	#134 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Milford School District	Stratford School District
High school in town	Jonathan Law High School	Stratford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Lowest	13.9Highest
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.