What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pomfret has the shortest commute (24 min average).

Salem has the most people working from home (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	Pomfret	Salem
People
Population	4,317Highest	4,282Lowest
Median age	45.9±3.7Highest 12% above CT	40.9±5.4Lowest about the CT average
	Pomfret and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.1%±4.9Lowest CT: 20.2%	23.2%±5.1Highest CT: 20.2%
	Salem and Pomfret are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.8%±4.5Lowest CT: 18.5%	19.7%±4.7Highest CT: 18.5%
	Salem and Pomfret are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50.8%Highest CT: 42.5%	50.6%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.9Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.8%±3.3Highest CT: 7.1%
	Salem and Pomfret are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$108,476±$8kLowest 13% above CT	$123,245±$8kHighest 29% above CT
	Salem and Pomfret are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$409,100±$28kHighest 12% above CT	$403,600±$33kLowest 10% above CT
	Pomfret and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,210±$300Lowest 19% below CT	$1,440±$150Highest 3% below CT
	Salem and Pomfret are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,903Lowest 11% below CT	$6,668Highest about the CT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	61.9%±15.3Highest CT: 52.6%	32.1%±26Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Pomfret and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6%Lowest CT: 10%	6.2%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%	86.6%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 11 yrs newer than CT	1988Highest 21 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 11% below CT	32 minHighest 19% above CT
Work from home	13.2%±5.2Lowest CT: 16%	18%±9.6Highest CT: 16%
	Salem and Pomfret 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	#39 of 149 in CT	#11 of 149 in CT
School district	Pomfret School District	Salem 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.