What stands out worked out from the figures below

Preston has the most kids (18.7% under 18).

Middlefield has the oldest population (median age 51.6).

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	Middlefield
People
Population	4,821Highest	4,243Lowest
Median age	46.2±7Lowest 12% above CT	51.6±1.9Highest 26% above CT
	Middlefield and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.7%±4.4Highest CT: 20.2%	13.9%±4.1Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Preston and Middlefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23%±4.7Lowest CT: 18.5%	25.5%±7.2Highest CT: 18.5%
	Middlefield and Preston 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%	41.5%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±2.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.7%±2.4Highest CT: 7.1%
	Middlefield 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±$27kHighest 22% above CT	$99,837±$20kLowest 4% above CT
	Preston and Middlefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$361,900±$13kLowest about the CT average	$376,000±$27kHighest about the CT average
	Middlefield and Preston 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	$3,501Highest 135% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,749Lowest 29% below CT	$6,853Highest 3% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.6%±12.5Lowest CT: 52.6%	85.4%±52.1Highest CT: 52.6%
	Middlefield and Preston 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%	8.1%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.7%Highest CT: 66.5%	86.5%Lowest 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	25 minHighest 6% below CT
Work from home	10.3%±6Lowest CT: 16%	10.9%±4.1Highest CT: 16%
	Middlefield 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	#65 of 149 in CT
School district	Preston School District	Regional School District 13
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.