What stands out worked out from the figures below

Redding has the highest household income ($186k).

Washington has the shortest commute (26 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	Redding	Washington
People
Population	8,780Highest	3,676Lowest
Median age	52±2Highest 27% above CT	49.9±5.5Lowest 21% above CT
	Redding and Washington 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%	19%±4.7Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Redding and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.4%±3.3Lowest CT: 18.5%	26.9%±5.3Highest CT: 18.5%
	Washington and Redding 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%	53.7%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±1.8Lowest CT: 7.1%	6.4%±3.3Highest CT: 7.1%
	Washington and Redding 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	$101,549±$16kLowest 6% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$706,300±$33kHighest 93% above CT	$660,200±$130kLowest 80% above CT
	Redding and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,101±$304Highest 41% above CT	$1,204±$264Lowest 19% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 51% above CT	$4,709Lowest 29% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64.9%±19.3Highest CT: 52.6%	26.1%±24Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Redding and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4%Lowest CT: 10%	9%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.6%Highest CT: 66.5%	79%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 5 yrs newer than CT	1971Lowest 4 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 36% above CT	26 minLowest 4% below CT
Work from home	32.5%±4.9Highest CT: 16%	20.1%±9Lowest CT: 16%
	Redding and Washington 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	#14 of 149 in CT	#17 of 149 in CT
School district	Redding School District · Regional School District 09	Regional School District 12
High school in town	Joel Barlow High School	Shepaug Valley School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Highest	9.1Lowest
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.