What stands out worked out from the figures below

Southington has the most people working from home (17.3%).

Shelton has the most expensive homes ($453k 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	Shelton
People
Population	43,803Highest	41,889Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.3% CT: +0.9%
Median age	45±1.4Highest 9% above CT	44.5±1.5Lowest 8% above CT
	Southington and Shelton 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%	18.9%±1.7Highest CT: 20.2%
	Shelton 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%	21.4%±1.5Highest CT: 18.5%
	Shelton 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%Highest CT: 42.5%	41.7%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.3%±1.1Highest CT: 7.1%	5.8%±1Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Southington and Shelton 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	$108,185±$11kLowest 13% above CT
	Southington and Shelton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$373,800±$10kLowest about the CT average	$452,600±$13kHighest 23% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,472±$77Lowest about the CT average	$1,741±$216Highest 17% above CT
	Shelton 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	$5,409Lowest 19% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.9%±8.6Lowest CT: 52.6%	53.8%±9.8Highest CT: 52.6%
	Shelton 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%	6.6%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.1%Highest CT: 66.5%	76.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 7 yrs newer than CT	1977Highest 10 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below CT	30 minHighest 14% above CT
Work from home	17.3%±2.9Highest CT: 16%	13.9%±2.8Lowest CT: 16%
	Southington and Shelton 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	#71 of 149 in CT
School district	Southington School District	Shelton School District
High school in town	Southington High School	Shelton High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Lowest	14.3Highest
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.