What stands out worked out from the figures below

Torrington has the most affordable homes ($216k median).

Hamden has the most people working from home (16.3%).

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	Torrington	Hamden
People
Population	35,547Lowest	61,045Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.4% CT: +0.9%	—
Median age	42.9±1.8Highest 4% above CT	38.7±0.9Lowest 6% below CT
Kids under 18	17.9%±1.6Highest CT: 20.2%	17%±1.5Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Torrington and Hamden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.2%±1.5Highest CT: 18.5%	18.1%±1.3Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Torrington and Hamden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.8%Lowest CT: 42.5%	47.8%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±1.1Lowest CT: 7.1%	15%±1.1Highest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,856±$5kLowest 26% below CT	$98,306±$7kHighest about the CT average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$215,500±$8kLowest 41% below CT	$298,200±$9kHighest 19% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,169±$43Lowest 21% below CT	$1,746±$50Highest 17% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,042Lowest 24% below CT	$7,784Highest 17% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48%±6.3Lowest CT: 52.6%	50.9%±5.4Highest CT: 52.6%
	Hamden and Torrington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.7%Highest CT: 10%	9.3%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	66.1%Highest CT: 66.5%	62.4%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 7 yrs older than CT	1964Highest 3 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 6% below CT	22 minLowest 18% below CT
Work from home	9%±1.6Lowest CT: 16%	16.3%±2.1Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#132 of 149 in CT	#122 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Torrington School District	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Area Cooperative Educational Services
High school in town	Torrington High School	Hamden High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Lowest	13.5Highest
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.