What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stepney has the most expensive homes ($476k median).

Manchester has the most affordable homes ($247k 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	Stepney	Manchester
People
Population	3,979Lowest	59,635Highest
Median age	47.1±5.6Highest 15% above CT	37±1.2Lowest 10% below CT
Kids under 18	21.1%±5.6Highest CT: 20.2%	20%±1.6Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Stepney and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.7%±4.1Highest CT: 18.5%	15.5%±1.2Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Stepney and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.2%Highest CT: 42.5%	40.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.1%±5.4Highest CT: 7.1%	5.5%±0.7Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Stepney and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$153,966±$16kHighest 61% above CT	$86,840±$4kLowest 9% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$475,800±$53kHighest 30% above CT	$247,100±$6kLowest 33% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,750±$1kHighest 85% above CT	$1,519±$66Lowest about the CT average
	Stepney and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,309Highest 40% above CT	$5,652Lowest 15% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.2%±48.8Highest CT: 52.6%	48.1%±6.1Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Stepney and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	0.8%Lowest CT: 10%	10.8%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.4%Highest CT: 66.5%	56.9%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 15 yrs newer than CT	1962Lowest 5 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 41% above CT	23 minLowest 15% below CT
Work from home	9.8%±4.3Lowest CT: 16%	14.3%±1.9Highest CT: 16%
	Manchester and Stepney 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	—	#135 of 149 in CT
School district	—	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Odyssey Community School District
High school in town	—	Manchester High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.1
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.