What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stratford has the most affordable homes ($372k median).

Milford has the most people working from home (17.7%).

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	Stratford	Milford
People
Population	52,790Highest	52,684Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-1.4% CT: +0.9%
Median age	45.7±1.4Lowest 11% above CT	46.6±1.4Highest 13% above CT
	Milford and Stratford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±1.3Highest CT: 20.2%	17.2%±1.4Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Stratford and Milford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±1.6Lowest CT: 18.5%	22.1%±1.5Highest CT: 18.5%
	Milford and Stratford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.7%Lowest CT: 42.5%	50.5%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1Highest CT: 7.1%	5%±0.7Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Stratford and Milford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$95,815±$7kLowest about the CT average	$110,669±$7kHighest 16% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$372,200±$8kLowest about the CT average	$416,800±$9kHighest 14% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,706±$75Lowest 15% above CT	$1,882±$80Highest 26% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,420Highest 12% above CT	$6,694Lowest about the CT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.3%±7.7Highest CT: 52.6%	51.3%±7.3Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Stratford and Milford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.7%Highest CT: 10%	5.1%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.6%Highest CT: 66.5%	75.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Lowest 9 yrs older than CT	1965Highest 2 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 13% above CT	25 minLowest 4% below CT
Work from home	14.6%±1.9Lowest CT: 16%	17.7%±1.8Highest CT: 16%
	Milford and Stratford 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	#134 of 149 in CT	#98 of 149 in CT
School district	Stratford School District	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Milford School District
High school in town	Stratford High School	Jonathan Law High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.9Highest	10.8Lowest
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.