What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ridgefield has the most expensive homes ($836k median).

Madison has the most affordable homes ($584k 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	Ridgefield	Madison
People
Population	25,109Highest	17,616Lowest
Median age	45.1±1.4Lowest 10% above CT	51.9±1.9Highest 26% above CT
Kids under 18	24.8%±2.3Highest CT: 20.2%	18.1%±2.2Lowest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	18.7%±1.9Lowest CT: 18.5%	25.2%±2.4Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	72.6%Highest CT: 42.5%	72.4%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.9%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%
	Madison and Ridgefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$179,219±$12kHighest 87% above CT	$167,442±$16kLowest 75% above CT
	Ridgefield and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$836,200±$26kHighest 128% above CT	$583,900±$30kLowest 59% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,026±$200Highest 36% above CT	$2,025±$741Lowest 36% above CT
	Ridgefield and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 51% above CT	$8,843Lowest 33% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.3%±12Highest CT: 52.6%	44%±12.3Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Ridgefield and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.5%Lowest CT: 10%	3.6%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%	90.4%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 5 yrs newer than CT	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 25% above CT	30 minLowest 12% above CT
Work from home	29.7%±3.7Lowest CT: 16%	30.2%±5.3Highest CT: 16%
	Madison and Ridgefield 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	#4 of 149 in CT	#7 of 149 in CT
School district	Ridgefield School District	Madison School District
High school in town	Ridgefield High School	Daniel Hand High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Highest	9.8Lowest
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.