What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rochester has the most expensive homes ($599k median).

Windsor Locks has the most people working from home (17.7%).

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	Rochester	Windsor Locks
People
Population	5,837Lowest	12,579Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.3% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	46.5±6Highest 20% above U.S.	41.4±2.6Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Rochester and Windsor Locks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.1%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%	18.6%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Rochester and Windsor Locks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.1%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.2%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Rochester and Windsor Locks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	28.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.9%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Windsor Locks and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$120,273±$12kHighest 49% above U.S.	$81,205±$13kLowest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$599,100±$31kHighest 80% above U.S.	$258,800±$14kLowest 22% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,432±$743Highest about the U.S. average	$1,394±$187Lowest about the U.S. average
	Rochester and Windsor Locks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,530Highest 109% above U.S.	$3,688Lowest 18% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.1%±10.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	58.2%±16.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Windsor Locks and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	10.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	77.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 38% above U.S.	22 minLowest 17% below U.S.
Work from home	8.3%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.7%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#104 of 282 in MA	#109 of 149 in CT
School district	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical · Rochester	Windsor Locks School District
High school in town	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical	Windsor Locks High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.1Highest	8.9Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.