What stands out worked out from the figures below

Prospect has the most kids (21.4% under 18).

Preston has the shortest commute (22 min average).

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	Prospect	Preston
People
Population	9,458Highest	4,821Lowest
Median age	46.8±3.9Highest 14% above CT	46.2±7Lowest 12% 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	21.4%±4.1Highest CT: 20.2%	18.7%±4.4Lowest 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+	24.5%±4.3Highest CT: 18.5%	23%±4.7Lowest 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+	40.3%Highest CT: 42.5%	28.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.8Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.9%±2.4Highest 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	$126,394±$18kHighest 32% above CT	$116,648±$27kLowest 22% 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	$355,400±$21kLowest 3% below CT	$361,900±$13kHighest about the CT average
	Preston and Prospect are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,800±$433Highest 21% above CT	$1,433±$1kLowest 4% below CT
	Prospect and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,504Highest about the CT average	$4,749Lowest 29% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.3%±31.8Lowest CT: 52.6%	52.6%±12.5Highest 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	3.2%Highest CT: 10%	2.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.5%Highest CT: 66.5%	91.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 7 yrs newer than CT	1970Lowest 3 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 4% above CT	22 minLowest 17% below CT
Work from home	10.1%±3.2Lowest CT: 16%	10.3%±6Highest 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	#50 of 149 in CT	#93 of 149 in CT
School district	Regional School District 16	Preston School District
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.