What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sharon has the most renters (27.5% rent).

Lyme has the most kids (13.1% under 18).

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	Sharon	Lyme
People
Population	2,723Highest	2,303Lowest
Median age	59.5±6Highest 45% above CT	55.6±3.3Lowest 35% above CT
	Sharon and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	7.2%±3.2Lowest CT: 20.2%	13.1%±2.4Highest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	37.9%±9.3Highest CT: 18.5%	30.7%±4.5Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Sharon and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	56.8%Lowest CT: 42.5%	63.5%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±2.5Highest CT: 7.1%	2.2%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Sharon and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$100,518±$15kLowest 5% above CT	$135,000±$22kHighest 41% above CT
	Lyme and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$590,700±$156kLowest 61% above CT	$629,900±$105kHighest 72% above CT
	Lyme and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,750±$1kHighest 18% above CT	$1,719±$1kLowest 16% above CT
	Sharon and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,484Lowest 33% below CT	$7,328Highest 10% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64%±16.2Highest CT: 52.6%	32.9%±44.3Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Sharon and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.8%Highest CT: 10%	2.9%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%	90.8%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 13 yrs older than CT	1967Highest same as CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 13% above CT	31 minHighest 17% above CT
Work from home	18.7%±6.8Lowest CT: 16%	27.6%±10Highest CT: 16%
	Lyme and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Sharon School District	Regional School District 18
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.