What stands out worked out from the figures below

Preston has the shortest commute (22 min average).

Wilbraham has the most people working from home (12.9%).

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	Wilbraham
People
Population	4,821Lowest	14,572Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.8% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.2±7Highest 19% above U.S.	44.3±2.7Lowest 14% above U.S.
	Preston and Wilbraham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.7%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.2%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wilbraham and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23%±4.7 U.S.: 17.2%	23%±3.4 U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	51.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.2%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wilbraham 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 44% above U.S.	$122,051±$14kHighest 51% above U.S.
	Wilbraham 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±$13kLowest 9% above U.S.	$416,000±$25kHighest 25% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,433±$1kHighest about the U.S. average	$1,175±$241Lowest 17% below U.S.
	Preston and Wilbraham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,749Lowest 52% above U.S.	$6,658Highest 113% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.6%±12.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	53.1%±23.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wilbraham 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 U.S.: 12.5%	4.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	88.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Highest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 16% below U.S.	27 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	10.3%±6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	12.9%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Wilbraham 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	#88 of 282 in MA
School district	Preston School District	Hampden-Wilbraham
High school in town	None in town	Minnechaug Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	14.2
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.