What stands out worked out from the figures below

Thompson has the most homeowners (84.3%).

Dalton has the most kids (20.6% under 18).

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	Thompson	Dalton
People
Population	9,337Highest	6,256Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-6.3% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	54.1±2.2Highest 39% above U.S.	49.7±5.8Lowest 28% above U.S.
	Thompson and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.4%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.6%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	24.4%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	27.9%±5.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Dalton and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	44.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.3%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Thompson and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,629±$18kHighest 16% above U.S.	$79,438±$8kLowest about the U.S. average
	Thompson and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$291,900±$24kLowest 12% below U.S.	$295,700±$26kHighest 11% below U.S.
	Dalton and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,012±$344Highest 28% below U.S.	$872±$70Lowest 38% below U.S.
	Thompson and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,822Lowest 23% above U.S.	$4,276Highest 37% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54%±18.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	41.2%±19Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thompson and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Highest 17 yrs older than U.S.	1957Lowest 23 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.	22 minLowest 16% below U.S.
Work from home	13.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	12.5%±7.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Thompson and Dalton 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	#130 of 149 in CT	#192 of 282 in MA
School district	Thompson School District	Central Berkshire
High school in town	Tourtellotte Memorial High School	Wahconah Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	7.9Lowest	10.9Highest
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.