What stands out worked out from the figures below

Norwich has the most affordable homes ($242k median).

West Haven has grown the fastest since 2010 (0%).

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	Norwich	West Haven
People
Population	39,973Lowest	55,351Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.9%Lowest CT: +0.9%	0%Highest CT: +0.9%
Median age	38.5±1.7Highest 6% below CT	35.8±1.5Lowest 13% below CT
	Norwich and West Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.9%±1.8Highest CT: 20.2%	20.3%±1.9Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Norwich and West Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.9%±1.7Highest CT: 18.5%	16%±1.3Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Norwich and West Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.1%Lowest CT: 42.5%	30.5%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.2Lowest CT: 7.1%	13.6%±1.6Highest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,024±$5kLowest 32% below CT	$74,382±$5kHighest 22% below CT
	West Haven and Norwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$242,300±$11kLowest 34% below CT	$291,700±$9kHighest 20% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,253±$68Lowest 16% below CT	$1,442±$43Highest 3% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,703Lowest 29% below CT	$6,941Highest 4% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.2%±7.2Highest CT: 52.6%	53.4%±5.8Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Norwich and West Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.7%Highest CT: 10%	14.1%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	53.8%Highest CT: 66.5%	50.6%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1957Lowest 10 yrs older than CT	1959Highest 8 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 9% below CT	23 minLowest 14% below CT
Work from home	7.2%±2Lowest CT: 16%	9.2%±1.4Highest CT: 16%
	West Haven and Norwich 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	#133 of 149 in CT	#120 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Norwich School District	New Haven School District · West Haven School District
High school in town	Norwich Free Academy	West Haven High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.8Lowest	15.6Highest
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.