What stands out worked out from the figures below

North Haven has the most people working from home (14.9%).

Waterford has the most affordable homes ($356k 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	North Haven	Waterford
People
Population	24,336Highest	19,673Lowest
Median age	45.7±1.3Lowest 11% above CT	46±2.4Highest 12% above CT
	Waterford and North Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.5%±2.5Highest CT: 20.2%	19.1%±2.5Lowest CT: 20.2%
	North Haven and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.3%±2.1Lowest CT: 18.5%	22.6%±2.1Highest CT: 18.5%
	Waterford and North Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.5%Highest CT: 42.5%	40.6%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1.3Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.6%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%
	Waterford and North Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$132,689±$7kHighest 39% above CT	$104,820±$9kLowest 9% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$393,200±$15kHighest 7% above CT	$355,900±$14kLowest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,720±$127Highest 16% above CT	$1,651±$153Lowest 11% above CT
	North Haven and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,964Highest 5% above CT	$4,876Lowest 27% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.2%±10Highest CT: 52.6%	44.4%±12Lowest CT: 52.6%
	North Haven and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.1%Lowest CT: 10%	4.6%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.3%Highest CT: 66.5%	79.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest 3 yrs older than CT	1968Highest 1 yr newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minHighest 18% below CT	22 minLowest 18% below CT
Work from home	14.9%±2.8Highest CT: 16%	10.2%±2.2Lowest CT: 16%
	North Haven and Waterford 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	#84 of 149 in CT	#80 of 149 in CT
School district	Area Cooperative Educational Services · North Haven School District	Learn · Waterford School District
High school in town	North Haven High School	Waterford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.0Lowest	11.1Highest
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.