What stands out worked out from the figures below

Shelton has the most expensive homes ($453k median).

New Milford has the most affordable homes ($392k 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	Shelton	New Milford
People
Population	41,889Highest	28,334Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.3% CT: +0.9%	—
Median age	44.5±1.5Highest 8% above CT	42.1±1.9Lowest about the CT average
	Shelton and New Milford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.9%±1.7Lowest CT: 20.2%	21.4%±2.6Highest CT: 20.2%
	New Milford and Shelton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.4%±1.5Highest CT: 18.5%	17.7%±1.7Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.7%Highest CT: 42.5%	41.2%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1Highest CT: 7.1%	5.1%±1.7Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Shelton and New Milford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$108,185±$11kHighest 13% above CT	$106,411±$8kLowest 11% above CT
	Shelton and New Milford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$452,600±$13kHighest 23% above CT	$391,500±$10kLowest 7% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,741±$216Highest 17% above CT	$1,609±$152Lowest 8% above CT
	Shelton and New Milford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,409Lowest 19% below CT	$6,150Highest 7% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.8%±9.8Lowest CT: 52.6%	57.7%±13.3Highest CT: 52.6%
	New Milford and Shelton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.6%Lowest CT: 10%	7.1%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%	80.4%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 10 yrs newer than CT	1975Lowest 8 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 min 14% above CT	30 min 14% above CT
Work from home	13.9%±2.8Lowest CT: 16%	15.1%±2.5Highest CT: 16%
	New Milford and Shelton 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	#71 of 149 in CT	#110 of 149 in CT
School district	Shelton School District	New Milford School District
High school in town	Shelton High School	New Milford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	11.7Lowest
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.