What stands out worked out from the figures below

Montville has the most affordable homes ($286k median).

Townsend has the most people working from home (10.5%).

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	Montville	Townsend
People
Population	17,950Highest	9,100Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.3% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.8±4.1Highest 10% above U.S.	40.9±3.3Lowest 5% above U.S.
	Montville and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.2%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Townsend and Montville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Townsend and Montville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	35.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Montville and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$96,454±$11kLowest 19% above U.S.	$121,528±$23kHighest 51% above U.S.
	Townsend and Montville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$285,600±$13kLowest 14% below U.S.	$433,200±$22kHighest 30% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,187±$99Lowest 16% below U.S.	$1,469±$313Highest 4% above U.S.
	Townsend and Montville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,565Lowest 46% above U.S.	$6,031Highest 93% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.4%±8.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	50.6%±16.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Townsend and Montville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 4% below U.S.	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.
Work from home	5.5%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±2.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Townsend and Montville 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	#95 of 149 in CT	#136 of 282 in MA
School district	Montville School District	North Middlesex
High school in town	Montville High School	North Middlesex Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	9.2Lowest	13.1Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.