What stands out worked out from the figures below

Staples has the most affordable homes ($1166k median).

Westport has the most people working from home (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	Staples	Westport
People
Population	7,340Lowest	27,528Highest
Median age	48.7±2.9Highest 18% above CT	45.4±1.5Lowest 10% above CT
	Staples and Westport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	25.3%±3.9Lowest CT: 20.2%	27.9%±2.7Highest CT: 20.2%
	Westport and Staples are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.3%±3.2Highest CT: 18.5%	18.5%±1.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Staples and Westport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	73%Lowest CT: 42.5%	79.9%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.9Highest CT: 7.1%	3.2%±0.8Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Staples and Westport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$192,656±$58kLowest 101% above CT	$250,001Highest 161% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$1,165,500±$64kLowest 218% above CT	$1,405,200±$124kHighest 283% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,328±$387Lowest 56% above CT	$2,509±$709Highest 69% above CT
	Westport and Staples are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+ at least 51% above CT	$10,000+ at least 51% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.1%±21.1Lowest CT: 52.6%	51.8%±11Highest CT: 52.6%
	Westport and Staples are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.4%Highest CT: 10%	3.2%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%	88.8%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967 same as CT	1967 same as CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	43 minHighest 63% above CT	41 minLowest 54% above CT
Work from home	29.7%±6Lowest CT: 16%	41.5%±3.6Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#3 of 149 in CT
School district	—	Westport School District
High school in town	—	Staples High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.7
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.