What stands out worked out from the figures below

Portland has the most kids (22.3% under 18).

Cromwell has the shortest commute (24 min average).

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	Portland	Cromwell
People
Population	9,434Lowest	14,334Highest
Median age	41.6±2Lowest about the CT average	43.5±2.5Highest 6% above CT
	Cromwell and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.3%±3.7Highest CT: 20.2%	19.1%±3.1Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Portland and Cromwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.7%±2.9Lowest CT: 18.5%	22%±3.2Highest CT: 18.5%
	Cromwell and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52.1%Highest CT: 42.5%	49.2%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.6%±2.9Highest CT: 7.1%	6.4%±1.8Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Portland and Cromwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$118,929±$15kHighest 24% above CT	$110,596±$10kLowest 15% above CT
	Portland and Cromwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$337,400±$36kHighest 8% below CT	$325,200±$22kLowest 11% below CT
	Portland and Cromwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,129±$62Lowest 24% below CT	$1,628±$154Highest 9% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,461Highest about the CT average	$6,137Lowest 8% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.1%±20.8Lowest CT: 52.6%	61%±11.9Highest CT: 52.6%
	Cromwell and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.9%Lowest CT: 10%	5.9%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.9%Highest CT: 66.5%	82.4%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 7% above CT	24 minLowest 11% below CT
Work from home	18.5%±4.8Highest CT: 16%	18.4%±4Lowest CT: 16%
	Portland and Cromwell 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	#61 of 149 in CT	#69 of 149 in CT
School district	Portland School District	Cromwell School District
High school in town	Portland High School	Cromwell High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	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.