What stands out worked out from the figures below

Southington has the highest household income ($124k).

Bristol has the most affordable homes ($278k 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	Southington	Bristol
People
Population	43,803Lowest	61,462Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+0.6% CT: +0.9%
Median age	45±1.4Highest 9% above CT	37.9±1.5Lowest 8% below CT
Kids under 18	18.7%±1.4Lowest CT: 20.2%	20.1%±1.7Highest CT: 20.2%
	Bristol and Southington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21%±1.6Highest CT: 18.5%	16.2%±1.2Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.4%Highest CT: 42.5%	30.3%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.3%±1.1Highest CT: 7.1%	5.9%±0.9Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Southington and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$124,309±$9kHighest 30% above CT	$79,076±$6kLowest 17% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$373,800±$10kHighest about the CT average	$277,800±$8kLowest 24% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,472±$77Highest about the CT average	$1,338±$45Lowest 10% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,206Highest 7% below CT	$5,449Lowest 18% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.9%±8.6Lowest CT: 52.6%	55.5%±5.9Highest CT: 52.6%
	Bristol and Southington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.9%Lowest CT: 10%	10.7%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.1%Highest CT: 66.5%	64.9%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 7 yrs newer than CT	1967Lowest same as CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 9% below CT	24 minLowest 11% below CT
Work from home	17.3%±2.9Highest CT: 16%	11.4%±1.7Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#51 of 149 in CT	#115 of 149 in CT
School district	Southington School District	Bristol School District
High school in town	Southington High School	Bristol Central High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Lowest	14.0Highest
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.