What stands out worked out from the figures below

Thomaston has the youngest population (median age 41.5).

Stafford has the most people working from home (11%).

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	Stafford
People
Population	7,492Lowest	11,511Highest
Median age	41.5±7.7Lowest about the CT average	46.7±4.8Highest 14% above CT
	Stafford and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±5.2Lowest CT: 20.2%	21.5%±3.1Highest CT: 20.2%
	Stafford and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.6%±3.6Lowest CT: 18.5%	22%±3Highest CT: 18.5%
	Stafford and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34%Highest CT: 42.5%	28.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±2.1Highest CT: 7.1%	3.5%±1.3Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Thomaston and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$103,218±$15kHighest 8% above CT	$93,235±$16kLowest about the CT average
	Thomaston and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$282,600±$23kHighest 23% below CT	$263,800±$22kLowest 28% below CT
	Thomaston and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,037±$147Lowest 30% below CT	$1,086±$85Highest 27% below CT
	Stafford and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,915Highest 11% below CT	$5,131Lowest 23% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.9%±22Highest CT: 52.6%	41.5%±12.2Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Thomaston and Stafford 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%	7.4%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%	79.5%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT	1970Highest 3 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the CT average	26 minLowest about the CT average
Work from home	7.6%±3.7Lowest CT: 16%	11%±3.5Highest CT: 16%
	Stafford and Thomaston 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	#106 of 149 in CT	#96 of 149 in CT
School district	Thomaston School District	Stafford School District
High school in town	Thomaston High School	Stafford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Highest	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.