What stands out worked out from the figures below

Southington has the most expensive homes ($374k median).

Chaplin has the most affordable homes ($255k 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	Chaplin
People
Population	43,803Highest	2,070Lowest
Median age	45±1.4Highest 9% above CT	43.7±4.8Lowest 6% above CT
	Southington and Chaplin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.7%±1.4Highest CT: 20.2%	15.7%±4.2Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Southington and Chaplin 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%	20.9%±4.4Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Southington and Chaplin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.4%Highest CT: 42.5%	25.4%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.3%±1.1Lowest CT: 7.1%	10.1%±6.2Highest CT: 7.1%
	Chaplin and Southington 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	$97,846±$14kLowest about the CT average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$373,800±$10kHighest about the CT average	$255,200±$24kLowest 30% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,472±$77Lowest about the CT average	$1,473±$275Highest about the CT average
	Chaplin and Southington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,206Highest 7% below CT	$4,524Lowest 32% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.9%±8.6Highest CT: 52.6%	33.6%±27.7Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Southington and Chaplin 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%	5.4%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%	82.9%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 7 yrs newer than CT	1979Highest 12 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below CT	32 minHighest 22% above CT
Work from home	17.3%±2.9Lowest CT: 16%	18.1%±10Highest CT: 16%
	Chaplin and Southington 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	#51 of 149 in CT	—
School district	Southington School District	Chaplin School District · Regional School District 11
High school in town	Southington High School	Parish Hill High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	7.5Lowest
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.