What stands out worked out from the figures below

Thompson has the most affordable homes ($292k median).

Washington has the most expensive homes ($660k 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	Thompson	Washington
People
Population	9,337Highest	3,676Lowest
Median age	54.1±2.2Highest 32% above CT	49.9±5.5Lowest 21% above CT
	Thompson and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.4%±2.8Lowest CT: 20.2%	19%±4.7Highest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	24.4%±4.3Lowest CT: 18.5%	26.9%±5.3Highest CT: 18.5%
	Washington 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 CT: 42.5%	53.7%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.3Lowest CT: 7.1%	6.4%±3.3Highest CT: 7.1%
	Washington and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,629±$18kLowest about the CT average	$101,549±$16kHighest 6% above CT
	Washington and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$291,900±$24kLowest 20% below CT	$660,200±$130kHighest 80% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,012±$344Lowest 32% below CT	$1,204±$264Highest 19% below CT
	Washington and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,822Lowest 42% below CT	$4,709Highest 29% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54%±18.7Highest CT: 52.6%	26.1%±24Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Thompson and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.9%Lowest CT: 10%	9%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.3%Highest CT: 66.5%	79%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 4 yrs older than CT	1971Highest 4 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 20% above CT	26 minLowest 4% below CT
Work from home	13.1%±4.4Lowest CT: 16%	20.1%±9Highest CT: 16%
	Washington and Thompson 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	#17 of 149 in CT
School district	Thompson School District	Regional School District 12
High school in town	Tourtellotte Memorial High School	Shepaug Valley School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.9Lowest	9.1Highest
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.