What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sharon has the most expensive homes ($591k median).

Westbrook has the most kids (9.6% 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	Westbrook
People
Population	2,723Lowest	6,856Highest
Median age	59.5±6Highest 45% above CT	58.2±3.7Lowest 42% above CT
	Sharon and Westbrook 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%	9.6%±2.6Highest CT: 20.2%
	Westbrook and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	37.9%±9.3Highest CT: 18.5%	36%±5.5Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Sharon and Westbrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	56.8%Highest CT: 42.5%	41.8%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±2.5Highest CT: 7.1%	3.4%±1.6Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Sharon and Westbrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$100,518±$15kHighest 5% above CT	$91,202±$23kLowest 5% below CT
	Sharon and Westbrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$590,700±$156kHighest 61% above CT	$434,300±$42kLowest 18% above CT
	Sharon and Westbrook 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	$1,425±$176Lowest 4% below CT
	Sharon and Westbrook 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	$5,829Highest 12% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64%±16.2Highest CT: 52.6%	53.8%±17.2Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Sharon and Westbrook 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%	7%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%	75.6%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 13 yrs older than CT	1970Highest 3 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 13% above CT	21 minLowest 19% below CT
Work from home	18.7%±6.8Lowest CT: 16%	19%±5Highest CT: 16%
	Westbrook and Sharon 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	—	#59 of 149 in CT
School district	Sharon School District	Westbrook School District
High school in town	None in town	Westbrook High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	6.3
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.