What stands out worked out from the figures below

Suffield has the most affordable homes ($408k median).

Madison has the most people working from home (30.2%).

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	Madison
People
Population	15,702Lowest	17,616Highest
Median age	44.5±1.7Lowest 8% above CT	51.9±1.9Highest 26% above CT
Kids under 18	16.2%±2Lowest CT: 20.2%	18.1%±2.2Highest CT: 20.2%
	Madison 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 CT: 18.5%	25.2%±2.4Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.4%Lowest CT: 42.5%	72.4%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.2Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.9%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%
	Madison 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±$13kLowest 25% above CT	$167,442±$16kHighest 75% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$407,500±$26kLowest 11% above CT	$583,900±$30kHighest 59% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,424±$141Lowest 4% below CT	$2,025±$741Highest 36% above CT
	Madison and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,456Lowest about the CT average	$8,843Highest 33% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51%±4.6Highest CT: 52.6%	44%±12.3Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Suffield and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.6%Highest CT: 10%	3.6%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%	90.4%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 12 yrs newer than CT	1976Lowest 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 3% below CT	30 minHighest 12% above CT
Work from home	18.4%±4.1Lowest CT: 16%	30.2%±5.3Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 149 in CT	#7 of 149 in CT
School district	Suffield School District	Madison School District
High school in town	Suffield High School	Daniel Hand High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Highest	9.8Lowest
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.