What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sprague has the oldest population (median age 48.5).

Sterling has the most people working from home (11.6%).

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	Sprague	Sterling
People
Population	2,962Lowest	3,629Highest
Median age	48.5±10.7Highest 18% above CT	39.4±5.9Lowest 4% below CT
	Sprague and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.1%±5.4Lowest CT: 20.2%	22.8%±5.9Highest CT: 20.2%
	Sterling and Sprague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.9%±3.9Highest CT: 18.5%	13%±3.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Sprague and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.2%Highest CT: 42.5%	18%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.6%±0.6Lowest CT: 7.1%	3.7%±1.9Highest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,850±$11kLowest 3% below CT	$102,695±$12kHighest 7% above CT
	Sterling and Sprague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$273,500±$17kLowest 25% below CT	$283,400±$17kHighest 23% below CT
	Sterling and Sprague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,247±$144 16% below CT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,668Highest 30% below CT	$4,551Lowest 31% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26.9%±12.2Lowest CT: 52.6%	32%±18.1Highest CT: 52.6%
	Sterling and Sprague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.1%Lowest CT: 10%	8.3%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%	81.1%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 8 yrs older than CT	1988Highest 21 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 12% above CT	35 minHighest 34% above CT
Work from home	5%±2.9Lowest CT: 16%	11.6%±6.4Highest CT: 16%
	Sterling and Sprague 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	#141 of 149 in CT	#119 of 149 in CT
School district	Sprague School District	Sterling School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.