What stands out worked out from the figures below

Union has the most affordable homes ($330k median).

Shelton has the most people working from home (13.9%).

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	Union	Shelton
People
Population	944Lowest	41,889Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.3% CT: +0.9%
Median age	49.9±4.3Highest 21% above CT	44.5±1.5Lowest 8% above CT
	Union and Shelton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±4.3Lowest CT: 20.2%	18.9%±1.7Highest CT: 20.2%
	Shelton and Union are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.5%±2.6Highest CT: 18.5%	21.4%±1.5Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Union and Shelton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24%Lowest CT: 42.5%	41.7%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±3.3Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.8%±1Highest CT: 7.1%
	Shelton and Union are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,958±$14kLowest 7% below CT	$108,185±$11kHighest 13% above CT
	Shelton and Union are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$330,400±$26kLowest 10% below CT	$452,600±$13kHighest 23% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,741±$216 17% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,793Lowest 28% below CT	$5,409Highest 19% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	90%±64.7Highest CT: 52.6%	53.8%±9.8Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Union and Shelton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Lowest CT: 10%	6.6%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.9%Highest CT: 66.5%	76.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 9 yrs newer than CT	1977Highest 10 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 20% above CT	30 minLowest 14% above CT
Work from home	9%±3.7Lowest CT: 16%	13.9%±2.8Highest CT: 16%
	Shelton and Union 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	—	#71 of 149 in CT
School district	Union School District	Shelton School District
High school in town	None in town	Shelton High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	14.3
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.