What stands out worked out from the figures below

Redding has the most people working from home (32.5%).

Thompson has the most affordable homes ($292k median).

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	Redding	Thompson
People
Population	8,780Lowest	9,337Highest
Median age	52±2Lowest 27% above CT	54.1±2.2Highest 32% above CT
	Thompson and Redding are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.1%±2.8Highest CT: 20.2%	11.4%±2.8Lowest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	26.4%±3.3Highest CT: 18.5%	24.4%±4.3Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Redding and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	72.1%Highest CT: 42.5%	21.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±1.8Highest CT: 7.1%	2.9%±1.3Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Redding and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$186,060±$15kHighest 94% above CT	$93,629±$18kLowest about the CT average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$706,300±$33kHighest 93% above CT	$291,900±$24kLowest 20% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,101±$304Highest 41% above CT	$1,012±$344Lowest 32% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 51% above CT	$3,822Lowest 42% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64.9%±19.3Highest CT: 52.6%	54%±18.7Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Redding and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4%Lowest CT: 10%	5.9%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.6%Highest CT: 66.5%	84.3%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 5 yrs newer than CT	1963Lowest 4 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 36% above CT	32 minLowest 20% above CT
Work from home	32.5%±4.9Highest CT: 16%	13.1%±4.4Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#14 of 149 in CT	#130 of 149 in CT
School district	Redding School District · Regional School District 09	Thompson School District
High school in town	Joel Barlow High School	Tourtellotte Memorial High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Highest	7.9Lowest
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.