What stands out worked out from the figures below

Monroe has the highest household income ($157k).

Beacon Falls has the most people working from home (20.3%).

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	Monroe	Beacon Falls
People
Population	18,949Highest	6,147Lowest
Median age	43.5±2.2Lowest 6% above CT	48.4±3.8Highest 18% above CT
	Beacon Falls and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	25.2%±3Highest CT: 20.2%	18%±4.8Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Monroe and Beacon Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.6%±2Lowest CT: 18.5%	23.5%±4.4Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	57.3%Highest CT: 42.5%	44.6%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.8Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.3%±3.2Highest CT: 7.1%
	Beacon Falls and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$157,250±$12kHighest 64% above CT	$101,516±$42kLowest 6% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$503,200±$31kHighest 37% above CT	$350,300±$34kLowest 5% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$994±$860Lowest 33% below CT	$1,921±$286Highest 29% above CT
	Beacon Falls and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 51% above CT	$6,534Lowest about the CT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.8%±46.4Lowest CT: 52.6%	50.7%±30.4Highest CT: 52.6%
	Beacon Falls and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.6%Highest CT: 10%	2.1%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.7%Highest CT: 66.5%	85.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 11 yrs newer than CT	1985Highest 18 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 29% above CT	33 minLowest 23% above CT
Work from home	15.4%±3.3Lowest CT: 16%	20.3%±7.4Highest CT: 16%
	Beacon Falls and Monroe 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	#48 of 149 in CT	#77 of 149 in CT
School district	Monroe School District	Regional School District 16
High school in town	Masuk High School	Woodland Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	11.2Lowest
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.