What stands out worked out from the figures below

Randolph has the most expensive homes ($174k median).

Willimantic has the most people working from home (13.8%).

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	Randolph	Willimantic
People
Population	1,610Highest	200Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.6% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	49.6±3.4Highest 11% above ME	38.5±11.9Lowest 14% below ME
	Randolph and Willimantic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.7%±4.7Lowest ME: 18.1%	36.5%±11.4Highest ME: 18.1%
Age 65+	27.8%±2.9Highest ME: 22.4%	25.5%±16.2Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Randolph and Willimantic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.8%Highest ME: 36.2%	15.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±2.9Lowest ME: 5.8%	4%±6.9Highest ME: 5.8%
	Willimantic and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,574±$16kHighest 11% below ME	$63,472±$52kLowest 15% below ME
	Randolph and Willimantic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$174,300±$21kHighest 41% below ME	$131,700±$21kLowest 56% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,186±$207 4% above ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,160Highest 29% below ME	$1,285Lowest 58% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.3%±8.1 ME: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	15.7%Lowest ME: 10.7%	32.5%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%	92.2%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 18 yrs older than ME	1986Highest 9 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 7% below ME	23 minHighest 6% below ME
Work from home	4.3%±3.6Lowest ME: 15.9%	13.8%±13.9Highest ME: 15.9%
	Willimantic and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.