What stands out worked out from the figures below

Preston has the shortest commute (22 min average).

Prospect has the most kids (21.4% under 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	Preston	Prospect
People
Population	4,821Lowest	9,458Highest
Median age	46.2±7Lowest 12% above CT	46.8±3.9Highest 14% above CT
	Prospect and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.7%±4.4Lowest CT: 20.2%	21.4%±4.1Highest CT: 20.2%
	Prospect and Preston 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%	24.5%±4.3Highest CT: 18.5%
	Prospect 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%	40.3%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±2.4Highest CT: 7.1%	3.5%±1.8Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Preston and Prospect 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	$126,394±$18kHighest 32% above CT
	Prospect 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	$355,400±$21kLowest 3% below CT
	Preston and Prospect 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	$1,800±$433Highest 21% above CT
	Prospect 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	$6,504Highest about the CT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.6%±12.5Highest CT: 52.6%	45.3%±31.8Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Preston and Prospect 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%	3.2%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%	93.5%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 3 yrs newer than CT	1974Highest 7 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 17% below CT	28 minHighest 4% above CT
Work from home	10.3%±6Highest CT: 16%	10.1%±3.2Lowest CT: 16%
	Preston and Prospect 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	#50 of 149 in CT
School district	Preston School District	Regional School District 16
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.