What stands out worked out from the figures below

Smithville has the most affordable homes ($173k median).

Wallingford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.4%).

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	Smithville	Wallingford
People
Population	1,525Lowest	2,286Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.1±3.2Lowest 11% above U.S.	45.9±10.8Highest 18% above U.S.
	Wallingford and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.6%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.7%±5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wallingford and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.1%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	23.9%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	30.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±5.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.5%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Smithville and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,433±$7kLowest 13% below U.S.	$80,230±$15kHighest about the U.S. average
	Wallingford and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$173,200±$42kLowest 48% below U.S.	$261,900±$44kHighest 21% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$889±$186Lowest 37% below U.S.	$891±$95Highest 37% below U.S.
	Wallingford and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,254Lowest 36% above U.S.	$4,355Highest 40% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.9%±31.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	14.3%±13.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Smithville and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	4.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	7.1%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Wallingford and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Mill River Unified Union School District #52
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.