What stands out worked out from the figures below

Thomaston has the most affordable homes ($283k median).

Durham has the most people working from home (20.5%).

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	Thomaston	Durham
People
Population	7,492Highest	7,208Lowest
Median age	41.5±7.7Lowest about the CT average	45.5±2.8Highest 11% above CT
	Durham and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±5.2Highest CT: 20.2%	16.4%±3.6Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Thomaston and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.6%±3.6Highest CT: 18.5%	17.4%±3.7Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Thomaston and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34%Lowest CT: 42.5%	47.9%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±2.1Highest CT: 7.1%	3.6%±1.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Thomaston and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$103,218±$15kLowest 8% above CT	$158,857±$7kHighest 66% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$282,600±$23kLowest 23% below CT	$424,800±$23kHighest 16% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,037±$147Lowest 30% below CT	$1,154±$448Highest 22% below CT
	Durham and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,915Lowest 11% below CT	$7,998Highest 20% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.9%±22Highest CT: 52.6%	44.9%±28.4Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Thomaston and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.3%Lowest CT: 10%	3.4%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%	93.2%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the CT average	23 minLowest 13% below CT
Work from home	7.6%±3.7Lowest CT: 16%	20.5%±6.4Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#106 of 149 in CT	#88 of 149 in CT
School district	Thomaston School District	Regional School District 13
High school in town	Thomaston High School	Coginchaug Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Highest	8.9Lowest
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.