What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stafford has the most people working from home (11%).

Thomaston has the youngest population (median age 41.5).

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	Thomaston
People
Population	11,511Highest	7,492Lowest
Median age	46.7±4.8Highest 14% above CT	41.5±7.7Lowest about the CT average
	Stafford and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.5%±3.1Highest CT: 20.2%	20.5%±5.2Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Stafford and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22%±3Highest CT: 18.5%	18.6%±3.6Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Stafford and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%	34%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.3Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.5%±2.1Highest CT: 7.1%
	Thomaston 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	$103,218±$15kHighest 8% above CT
	Thomaston 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	$282,600±$23kHighest 23% below CT
	Thomaston and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$85Highest 27% below CT	$1,037±$147Lowest 30% below CT
	Stafford and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,131Lowest 23% below CT	$5,915Highest 11% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.5%±12.2Lowest CT: 52.6%	57.9%±22Highest CT: 52.6%
	Thomaston and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Highest CT: 10%	2.3%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.5%Highest CT: 66.5%	77.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Highest 3 yrs newer than CT	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the CT average	27 minHighest about the CT average
Work from home	11%±3.5Highest CT: 16%	7.6%±3.7Lowest CT: 16%
	Stafford and Thomaston 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	#106 of 149 in CT
School district	Stafford School District	Thomaston School District
High school in town	Stafford High School	Thomaston High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	10.7Highest
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.