What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Washington has the most expensive homes ($660k 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	Monroe	Washington
People
Population	18,949Highest	3,676Lowest
Median age	43.5±2.2Lowest 6% above CT	49.9±5.5Highest 21% above CT
	Washington 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%	19%±4.7Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Monroe and Washington 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%	26.9%±5.3Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	57.3%Highest CT: 42.5%	53.7%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.8Lowest CT: 7.1%	6.4%±3.3Highest CT: 7.1%
	Washington 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	$101,549±$16kLowest 6% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$503,200±$31kLowest 37% above CT	$660,200±$130kHighest 80% above CT
	Washington and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$994±$860Lowest 33% below CT	$1,204±$264Highest 19% below CT
	Washington 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	$4,709Lowest 29% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.8%±46.4Highest CT: 52.6%	26.1%±24Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Monroe and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.6%Lowest CT: 10%	9%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.7%Highest CT: 66.5%	79%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 11 yrs newer than CT	1971Lowest 4 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 29% above CT	26 minLowest 4% below CT
Work from home	15.4%±3.3Lowest CT: 16%	20.1%±9Highest CT: 16%
	Washington 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	#17 of 149 in CT
School district	Monroe School District	Regional School District 12
High school in town	Masuk High School	Shepaug Valley School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	9.1Lowest
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.