What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stafford has the highest household income ($93k).

Torrington has the most affordable homes ($216k 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	Stafford	Torrington
People
Population	11,511Lowest	35,547Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-2.4% CT: +0.9%
Median age	46.7±4.8Highest 14% above CT	42.9±1.8Lowest 4% above CT
	Stafford and Torrington 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%	17.9%±1.6Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Stafford and Torrington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22%±3Highest CT: 18.5%	19.2%±1.5Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Stafford and Torrington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.5%Highest CT: 42.5%	24.8%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.3Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.7%±1.1Highest CT: 7.1%
	Torrington 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±$16kHighest about the CT average	$70,856±$5kLowest 26% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,800±$22kHighest 28% below CT	$215,500±$8kLowest 41% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$85Lowest 27% below CT	$1,169±$43Highest 21% below CT
	Torrington and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,131Highest 23% below CT	$5,042Lowest 24% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.5%±12.2Lowest CT: 52.6%	48%±6.3Highest CT: 52.6%
	Torrington and Stafford 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%	13.7%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.5%Highest CT: 66.5%	66.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Highest 3 yrs newer than CT	1960Lowest 7 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the CT average	25 minLowest 6% below CT
Work from home	11%±3.5Highest CT: 16%	9%±1.6Lowest CT: 16%
	Stafford and Torrington 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	#132 of 149 in CT
School district	Stafford School District	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Torrington School District
High school in town	Stafford High School	Torrington High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	11.9Highest
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.