What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Smithfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.2%).

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	Smithfield
People
Population	35,547Highest	22,233Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.9±1.8Highest 10% above U.S.	41.8±2.6Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Torrington and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.9%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22%	16.9%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Torrington and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.2%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	21.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Smithfield and Torrington 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 U.S.: 35.7%	40%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	16.7%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,856±$5kLowest 12% below U.S.	$102,077±$8kHighest 26% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$215,500±$8kLowest 35% below U.S.	$446,400±$12kHighest 34% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,169±$43Highest 17% below U.S.	$1,016±$241Lowest 28% below U.S.
	Torrington and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,042Lowest 62% above U.S.	$5,207Highest 67% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.1%±17.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Smithfield 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 U.S.: 12.5%	6.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	66.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	81.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 20 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 5% below U.S.	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.
Work from home	9%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#132 of 149 in CT	#8 of 38 in RI
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Torrington School District	Smithfield
High school in town	Torrington High School	Smithfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Highest	11.8Lowest
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.