What stands out worked out from the figures below

Union has the oldest population (median age 49.9).

Sterling has the most kids (22.8% under 18).

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	Sterling
People
Population	944Lowest	3,629Highest
Median age	49.9±4.3Highest 21% above CT	39.4±5.9Lowest 4% below CT
Kids under 18	16.9%±4.3Lowest CT: 20.2%	22.8%±5.9Highest CT: 20.2%
	Sterling 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%	13%±3.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24%Highest CT: 42.5%	18%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±3.3Highest CT: 7.1%	3.7%±1.9Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Union and Sterling 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	$102,695±$12kHighest 7% above CT
	Sterling 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±$26kHighest 10% below CT	$283,400±$17kLowest 23% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,793Highest 28% below CT	$4,551Lowest 31% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	90%±64.7Highest CT: 52.6%	32%±18.1Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Union and Sterling 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%	8.3%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.9%Highest CT: 66.5%	81.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 9 yrs newer than CT	1988Highest 21 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 20% above CT	35 minHighest 34% above CT
Work from home	9%±3.7Lowest CT: 16%	11.6%±6.4Highest CT: 16%
	Sterling 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	—	#119 of 149 in CT
School district	Union School District	Sterling School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.