What stands out worked out from the figures below

Portland has the highest household income ($119k).

Portland has the most affordable homes ($282k 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	Portland	Portland
People
Population	9,434Highest	5,944Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-0.8% CT: +0.9%
Median age	41.6±2Highest about the CT average	41.2±2.6Lowest about the CT average
	Portland 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%	19.2%±4.8Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Portland and Portland 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%	19.3%±3.3Highest CT: 18.5%
	Portland 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%	46.1%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.6%±2.9Lowest CT: 7.1%	9.3%±4.7Highest CT: 7.1%
	Portland and Portland 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	$89,401±$21kLowest 7% below CT
	Portland and Portland 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	$282,300±$13kLowest 23% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,129±$62Highest 24% below CT	$1,122±$59Lowest 25% below CT
	Portland and Portland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,461Highest about the CT average	$5,597Lowest 16% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.1%±20.8Lowest CT: 52.6%	49.7%±21.2Highest CT: 52.6%
	Portland 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%	4.7%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.9%Highest CT: 66.5%	77%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Highest 6 yrs older than CT	1955Lowest 12 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 7% above CT	31 minHighest 15% above CT
Work from home	18.5%±4.8 CT: 16%	18.5%±5.6 CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#61 of 149 in CT	#61 of 149 in CT
School district	Portland School District	—
High school in town	Portland High School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6	—
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.