What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sandy Hook has the highest household income ($161k).

Old Lyme has the shortest commute (27 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	Sandy Hook	Old Lyme
People
Population	9,863Highest	7,679Lowest
Median age	43.1±3Lowest 5% above CT	50.6±3.3Highest 23% above CT
Kids under 18	22.6%±4.1Highest CT: 20.2%	20.3%±3.1Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Sandy Hook and Old Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.4%±2.4Lowest CT: 18.5%	26.4%±3.1Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	60.9%Highest CT: 42.5%	56.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±2.1Highest CT: 7.1%	2.4%±1.2Lowest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$160,814±$25kHighest 68% above CT	$131,899±$11kLowest 38% above CT
	Sandy Hook and Old Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$501,200±$33kHighest 37% above CT	$484,200±$21kLowest 32% above CT
	Sandy Hook and Old Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,866±$439Lowest 25% above CT	$2,238±$295Highest 50% above CT
	Old Lyme and Sandy Hook 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	$6,284Lowest 5% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.4%±26.6Highest CT: 52.6%	51.6%±17.2Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Sandy Hook and Old Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.6%Highest CT: 10%	2.9%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.9%Highest CT: 66.5%	88.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 12 yrs newer than CT	1965Lowest 2 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 33% above CT	27 minLowest about the CT average
Work from home	23.1%±4.4Lowest CT: 16%	24.2%±5.7Highest CT: 16%
	Old Lyme and Sandy Hook 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	—	#10 of 149 in CT
School district	—	Regional School District 18
High school in town	—	Lyme-Old Lyme High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	9.6
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.