What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stafford has the shortest commute (26 min average).

Sterling has the youngest population (median age 39.4).

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	Stafford	Sterling
People
Population	11,511Highest	3,629Lowest
Median age	46.7±4.8Highest 14% above CT	39.4±5.9Lowest 4% below CT
	Stafford and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.5%±3.1Lowest CT: 20.2%	22.8%±5.9Highest CT: 20.2%
	Sterling and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22%±3Highest CT: 18.5%	13%±3.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.5%Highest CT: 42.5%	18%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.3Lowest CT: 7.1%	3.7%±1.9Highest CT: 7.1%
	Sterling and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,235±$16kLowest about the CT average	$102,695±$12kHighest 7% above CT
	Sterling and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,800±$22kLowest 28% below CT	$283,400±$17kHighest 23% below CT
	Sterling and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$85 27% below CT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,131Highest 23% below CT	$4,551Lowest 31% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.5%±12.2Highest CT: 52.6%	32%±18.1Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Stafford and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Lowest CT: 10%	8.3%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%	81.1%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 3 yrs newer than CT	1988Highest 21 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the CT average	35 minHighest 34% above CT
Work from home	11%±3.5Lowest CT: 16%	11.6%±6.4Highest CT: 16%
	Sterling and Stafford 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	#96 of 149 in CT	#119 of 149 in CT
School district	Stafford School District	Sterling School District
High school in town	Stafford High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8	—
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.