What stands out worked out from the figures below

Norfolk has the most people working from home (23.3%).

Sterling has the most kids (22.8% under 18).

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	Norfolk	Sterling
People
Population	1,723Lowest	3,629Highest
Median age	48.2±7.4Highest 17% above CT	39.4±5.9Lowest 4% below CT
	Norfolk and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.8%±4.8Lowest CT: 20.2%	22.8%±5.9Highest CT: 20.2%
	Sterling and Norfolk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.8%±3.7Highest CT: 18.5%	13%±3.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.6%Highest CT: 42.5%	18%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.1Lowest CT: 7.1%	3.7%±1.9Highest CT: 7.1%
	Sterling and Norfolk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,548±$16kLowest 4% below CT	$102,695±$12kHighest 7% above CT
	Sterling and Norfolk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$430,900±$54kHighest 17% above CT	$283,400±$17kLowest 23% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,190±$116 20% below CT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,065Highest 9% below CT	$4,551Lowest 31% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.3%±17Lowest CT: 52.6%	32%±18.1Highest CT: 52.6%
	Sterling and Norfolk are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.5%Lowest CT: 10%	8.3%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.1% CT: 66.5%	81.1% CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 29 yrs older than CT	1988Highest 21 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 3% above CT	35 minHighest 34% above CT
Work from home	23.3%±4.7Highest CT: 16%	11.6%±6.4Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#119 of 149 in CT
School district	Norfolk School District	Sterling School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.