What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stratford has the most homeowners (81.6%).

Wallingford has the shortest commute (24 min average).

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	Wallingford
People
Population	52,790Highest	44,362Lowest
Median age	45.7±1.4Highest 11% above CT	42.6±1.8Lowest 4% above CT
	Stratford and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±1.3Lowest CT: 20.2%	18.8%±1.9Highest CT: 20.2%
	Wallingford and Stratford 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%	21.2%±1.7Highest CT: 18.5%
	Wallingford 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%	40.4%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1Lowest CT: 7.1%	6%±1Highest CT: 7.1%
	Wallingford and Stratford 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	$104,773±$5kHighest 9% above CT
	Wallingford and Stratford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$372,200±$8kHighest about the CT average	$353,100±$8kLowest 4% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,706±$75Highest 15% above CT	$1,374±$84Lowest 8% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,420Highest 12% above CT	$5,963Lowest 10% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.3%±7.7Highest CT: 52.6%	42.9%±8.9Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Stratford and Wallingford 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%	5.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.6%Highest CT: 66.5%	72.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Lowest 9 yrs older than CT	1972Highest 5 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 13% above CT	24 minLowest 8% below CT
Work from home	14.6%±1.9Highest CT: 16%	13.3%±2Lowest CT: 16%
	Stratford and Wallingford 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	#108 of 149 in CT
School district	Stratford School District	Wallingford School District
High school in town	Stratford High School	Lyman Hall High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.9Highest	10.5Lowest
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.