What stands out worked out from the figures below

Preston has the shortest commute (22 min average).

Harwinton has the most people working from home (13.5%).

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	Preston	Harwinton
People
Population	4,821Lowest	5,575Highest
Median age	46.2±7Highest 12% above CT	46.1±4.3Lowest 12% above CT
	Preston and Harwinton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.7%±4.4Lowest CT: 20.2%	20%±4.2Highest CT: 20.2%
	Harwinton and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23%±4.7Highest CT: 18.5%	22.1%±3.5Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Preston and Harwinton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%	40.3%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±2.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	6.7%±2.9Highest CT: 7.1%
	Harwinton and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$116,648±$27kLowest 22% above CT	$129,643±$18kHighest 35% above CT
	Harwinton and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$361,900±$13kHighest about the CT average	$352,100±$16kLowest 4% below CT
	Preston and Harwinton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,433±$1kLowest 4% below CT	$1,504±$200Highest about the CT average
	Harwinton and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,749Lowest 29% below CT	$5,503Highest 17% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.6%±12.5Highest CT: 52.6%	27.8%±27.9Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Preston and Harwinton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.4%Lowest CT: 10%	4.8%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%	93%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Highest 3 yrs newer than CT	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 17% below CT	26 minHighest 3% below CT
Work from home	10.3%±6Lowest CT: 16%	13.5%±4.7Highest CT: 16%
	Harwinton and Preston 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	#93 of 149 in CT	#34 of 149 in CT
School district	Preston School District	Regional School District 10
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.