What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Ware has the most people working from home (12.3%).

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	Ware
People
Population	11,511Highest	10,048Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.7±4.8Highest 20% above U.S.	43.1±4.7Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Stafford and Ware are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.5%±3.1Highest U.S.: 22%	19.1%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Stafford and Ware are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.6%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Stafford and Ware 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 U.S.: 35.7%	24%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Ware 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 15% above U.S.	$67,475±$15kLowest 16% below U.S.
	Stafford and Ware are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,800±$22kLowest 21% below U.S.	$289,700±$28kHighest 13% below U.S.
	Ware 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 23% below U.S.	$1,043±$109Lowest 26% below U.S.
	Stafford and Ware are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,131Highest 65% above U.S.	$4,237Lowest 36% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.5%±12.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	64.3%±16.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ware 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 U.S.: 12.5%	11.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	72.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Highest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1960Lowest 20 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	28 minHighest 8% above U.S.
Work from home	11%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	12.3%±3.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Ware 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	#267 of 282 in MA
School district	Stafford School District	Ware
High school in town	Stafford High School	Ware Junior/Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	11.1Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.