What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wallingford has the most expensive homes ($353k 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	Torrington	Wallingford
People
Population	35,547Lowest	44,362Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.4% CT: +0.9%	—
Median age	42.9±1.8Highest 4% above CT	42.6±1.8Lowest 4% above CT
	Torrington and Wallingford 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%	18.8%±1.9Highest CT: 20.2%
	Wallingford 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%	21.2%±1.7Highest CT: 18.5%
	Wallingford 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%	40.4%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±1.1Lowest CT: 7.1%	6%±1Highest CT: 7.1%
	Wallingford and Torrington 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	$104,773±$5kHighest 9% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$215,500±$8kLowest 41% below CT	$353,100±$8kHighest 4% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,169±$43Lowest 21% below CT	$1,374±$84Highest 8% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,042Lowest 24% below CT	$5,963Highest 10% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48%±6.3Highest CT: 52.6%	42.9%±8.9Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Torrington and Wallingford 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%	5.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	66.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%	72.8%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 7 yrs older than CT	1972Highest 5 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 6% below CT	24 minLowest 8% below CT
Work from home	9%±1.6Lowest CT: 16%	13.3%±2Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#132 of 149 in CT	#108 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Torrington School District	Wallingford School District
High school in town	Torrington High School	Lyman Hall High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Highest	10.5Lowest
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.