What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sandy Hook has the most expensive homes ($501k median).

Tolland has the most affordable homes ($366k 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	Sandy Hook	Tolland
People
Population	9,863Lowest	14,606Highest
Median age	43.1±3Highest 5% above CT	41.4±2.5Lowest about the CT average
	Sandy Hook and Tolland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.6%±4.1 CT: 20.2%	22.6%±3 CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	14.4%±2.4Lowest CT: 18.5%	15.3%±2.1Highest CT: 18.5%
	Tolland and Sandy Hook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	60.9%Highest CT: 42.5%	56.2%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±2.1Lowest CT: 7.1%	7.4%±2.3Highest CT: 7.1%
	Tolland and Sandy Hook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$160,814±$25kHighest 68% above CT	$133,264±$16kLowest 39% above CT
	Sandy Hook and Tolland 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	$365,500±$21kLowest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,866±$439Highest 25% above CT	$1,680±$119Lowest 13% above CT
	Sandy Hook and Tolland 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	$7,403Lowest 11% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.4%±26.6Lowest CT: 52.6%	73.5%±62.4Highest CT: 52.6%
	Tolland and Sandy Hook 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%	5.3%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.9%Highest CT: 66.5%	90.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest 12 yrs newer than CT	1981Highest 14 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 33% above CT	32 minLowest 20% above CT
Work from home	23.1%±4.4Highest CT: 16%	20.6%±3.6Lowest CT: 16%
	Sandy Hook and Tolland 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	—	#60 of 149 in CT
School district	—	Tolland School District
High school in town	—	Tolland High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.4
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.