What stands out worked out from the figures below

New Britain has the most renters (54.9% rent).

Berlin has the highest household income ($114k).

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	New Britain	Berlin
People
Population	74,223Highest	20,361Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.3% CT: +0.9%	—
Median age	34.3±1.2Lowest 17% below CT	48.7±3Highest 18% above CT
Kids under 18	22%±1.6Highest CT: 20.2%	19.4%±2.7Lowest CT: 20.2%
	New Britain and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.6%±1.1Lowest CT: 18.5%	23.5%±3.1Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.6%Lowest CT: 42.5%	44.9%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9.4%±1Highest CT: 7.1%	7.2%±1.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	New Britain and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$58,613±$2kLowest 39% below CT	$113,598±$11kHighest 19% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$223,600±$6kLowest 39% below CT	$374,600±$13kHighest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,253±$45Lowest 16% below CT	$1,402±$88Highest 6% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,846Lowest 12% below CT	$7,291Highest 10% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.2%±4.6Lowest CT: 52.6%	63.4%±11.3Highest CT: 52.6%
	Berlin and New Britain are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.1%Highest CT: 10%	3.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	45.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%	82.6%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Lowest 11 yrs older than CT	1972Highest 5 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minHighest 19% below CT	21 minLowest 21% below CT
Work from home	8%±1.4Lowest CT: 16%	14.4%±4.6Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#149 of 149 in CT	#73 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Capitol Region Education Council	Berlin School District
High school in town	New Britain High School	Berlin High School
Students per teacherat that high school	16.2Highest	11.5Lowest
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.