What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stafford has the highest household income ($93k).

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	Stafford
People
Population	35,547Highest	11,511Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.4% CT: +0.9%	—
Median age	42.9±1.8Lowest 4% above CT	46.7±4.8Highest 14% above CT
	Stafford and Torrington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.9%±1.6Lowest CT: 20.2%	21.5%±3.1Highest CT: 20.2%
	Stafford and Torrington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.2%±1.5Lowest CT: 18.5%	22%±3Highest CT: 18.5%
	Stafford 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 CT: 42.5%	28.5%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±1.1Highest CT: 7.1%	3.5%±1.3Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Torrington and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,856±$5kLowest 26% below CT	$93,235±$16kHighest about the CT average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$215,500±$8kLowest 41% below CT	$263,800±$22kHighest 28% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,169±$43Highest 21% below CT	$1,086±$85Lowest 27% below CT
	Torrington and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,042Lowest 24% below CT	$5,131Highest 23% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48%±6.3Highest CT: 52.6%	41.5%±12.2Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Torrington and Stafford 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%	7.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	66.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%	79.5%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 7 yrs older than CT	1970Highest 3 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below CT	26 minHighest about the CT average
Work from home	9%±1.6Lowest CT: 16%	11%±3.5Highest CT: 16%
	Stafford and Torrington 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	#132 of 149 in CT	#96 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Torrington School District	Stafford School District
High school in town	Torrington High School	Stafford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Highest	9.8Lowest
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.