What stands out worked out from the figures below

Vernon has the most affordable homes ($276k median).

Sandy Hook has the highest household income ($161k).

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	Vernon	Sandy Hook
People
Population	30,577Highest	9,863Lowest
Median age	39.4±2.5Lowest 4% below CT	43.1±3Highest 5% above CT
	Sandy Hook and Vernon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±2Lowest CT: 20.2%	22.6%±4.1Highest CT: 20.2%
	Sandy Hook and Vernon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.6%±1.7Highest CT: 18.5%	14.4%±2.4Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38%Lowest CT: 42.5%	60.9%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.8%±1.2Highest CT: 7.1%	6.2%±2.1Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Vernon and Sandy Hook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$85,356±$6kLowest 11% below CT	$160,814±$25kHighest 68% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$275,500±$11kLowest 25% below CT	$501,200±$33kHighest 37% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,425±$77Lowest 4% below CT	$1,866±$439Highest 25% above CT
	Sandy Hook and Vernon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,804Lowest 13% below CT	$10,000+Highest at least 51% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.3%±5.7Lowest CT: 52.6%	52.4%±26.6Highest CT: 52.6%
	Sandy Hook and Vernon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.4%Highest CT: 10%	5.6%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	53.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%	92.9%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 1 yr newer than CT	1979Highest 12 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the CT average	35 minHighest 33% above CT
Work from home	13.4%±2.5Lowest CT: 16%	23.1%±4.4Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#107 of 149 in CT	—
School district	Vernon School District	—
High school in town	Rockville High School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1	—
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.