What stands out worked out from the figures below

Tolland has the shortest commute (32 min average).

New Fairfield has the most expensive homes ($485k 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	Tolland	New Fairfield
People
Population	14,606Highest	13,584Lowest
Median age	41.4±2.5Lowest about the CT average	42.9±3.5Highest 4% above CT
	New Fairfield and Tolland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.6%±3Lowest CT: 20.2%	25.1%±4.3Highest CT: 20.2%
	New Fairfield and Tolland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.3%±2.1Lowest CT: 18.5%	20.1%±2.5Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	56.2%Highest CT: 42.5%	48.3%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.4%±2.3Lowest CT: 7.1%	8%±2.5Highest CT: 7.1%
	New Fairfield and Tolland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$133,264±$16kLowest 39% above CT	$137,647±$14kHighest 44% above CT
	New Fairfield and Tolland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$365,500±$21kLowest about the CT average	$484,800±$17kHighest 32% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,680±$119Lowest 13% above CT	$1,896±$280Highest 27% above CT
	New Fairfield and Tolland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,403Lowest 11% above CT	$8,224Highest 24% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	73.5%±62.4Highest CT: 52.6%	43.2%±17.9Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Tolland and New Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.3%Highest CT: 10%	3.6%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%	91.7%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 14 yrs newer than CT	1969Lowest 2 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 20% above CT	42 minHighest 60% above CT
Work from home	20.6%±3.6Highest CT: 16%	18%±3.2Lowest CT: 16%
	Tolland and New Fairfield 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	#60 of 149 in CT	#49 of 149 in CT
School district	Tolland School District	New Fairfield School District
High school in town	Tolland High School	New Fairfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.4Highest	11.8Lowest
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.