What stands out worked out from the figures below

Suffield has the most people working from home (18.4%).

Johnston has the most affordable homes ($356k 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	Suffield	Johnston
People
Population	15,702Lowest	29,835Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.8% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±1.7 14% above U.S.	44.5±2.5 14% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.2%±2Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.5%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Johnston and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.4%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.1%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Johnston and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	28.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Johnston and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,472±$13kHighest 48% above U.S.	$91,866±$6kLowest 14% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$407,500±$26kHighest 22% above U.S.	$355,500±$13kLowest 7% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,424±$141Highest about the U.S. average	$1,275±$132Lowest 10% below U.S.
	Suffield and Johnston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,456Highest 107% above U.S.	$4,614Lowest 48% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51%±4.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	38.1%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Suffield and Johnston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	75.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.	1968Lowest 12 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 3% below U.S.	24 minLowest 11% below U.S.
Work from home	18.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.9%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 149 in CT	#32 of 38 in RI
School district	Suffield School District	Johnston
High school in town	Suffield High School	Johnston Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Highest	10.3Lowest
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.