What stands out worked out from the figures below

Southington has the shortest commute (24 min average).

Cheshire has the highest household income ($147k).

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	Cheshire
People
Population	43,803Highest	29,040Lowest
Median age	45±1.4Highest 9% above CT	44.9±1.4Lowest 9% above CT
	Southington and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.7%±1.4Lowest CT: 20.2%	21.9%±2.3Highest CT: 20.2%
	Cheshire and Southington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21%±1.6Lowest CT: 18.5%	21.3%±1.8Highest CT: 18.5%
	Cheshire and Southington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.4%Lowest CT: 42.5%	60.7%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.3%±1.1Highest CT: 7.1%	4.5%±1.1Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Southington and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$124,309±$9kLowest 30% above CT	$146,528±$12kHighest 53% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$373,800±$10kLowest about the CT average	$440,000±$17kHighest 20% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,472±$77Highest about the CT average	$1,398±$116Lowest 6% below CT
	Southington and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,206Lowest 7% below CT	$7,755Highest 17% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.9%±8.6Lowest CT: 52.6%	44.9%±6.3Highest CT: 52.6%
	Cheshire 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%	5%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%	86.6%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974 7 yrs newer than CT	1974 7 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below CT	29 minHighest 9% above CT
Work from home	17.3%±2.9Lowest CT: 16%	19.1%±2.7Highest CT: 16%
	Cheshire 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	#18 of 149 in CT
School district	Southington School District	Cheshire School District
High school in town	Southington High School	Cheshire High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	11.6Lowest
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.