What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wallingford has the most affordable homes ($353k 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	Wallingford
People
Population	41,889Lowest	44,362Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.3% CT: +0.9%	—
Median age	44.5±1.5Highest 8% above CT	42.6±1.8Lowest 4% above CT
	Shelton and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.9%±1.7Highest CT: 20.2%	18.8%±1.9Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Shelton and Wallingford 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%	21.2%±1.7Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Shelton and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.7%Highest CT: 42.5%	40.4%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1Lowest CT: 7.1%	6%±1Highest CT: 7.1%
	Wallingford and Shelton 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	$104,773±$5kLowest 9% above CT
	Shelton and Wallingford 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	$353,100±$8kLowest 4% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,741±$216Highest 17% above CT	$1,374±$84Lowest 8% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,409Lowest 19% below CT	$5,963Highest 10% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.8%±9.8Highest CT: 52.6%	42.9%±8.9Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Shelton and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.6%Highest CT: 10%	5.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.5%Highest CT: 66.5%	72.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 10 yrs newer than CT	1972Lowest 5 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 14% above CT	24 minLowest 8% below CT
Work from home	13.9%±2.8Highest CT: 16%	13.3%±2Lowest CT: 16%
	Shelton and Wallingford 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	#108 of 149 in CT
School district	Shelton School District	Wallingford School District
High school in town	Shelton High School	Lyman Hall High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	10.5Lowest
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.