What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wallingford Center has the most expensive homes ($319k 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	Vernon	Wallingford Center
People
Population	30,577Highest	18,208Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+0.4% CT: +0.9%
Median age	39.4±2.5Lowest 4% below CT	39.6±4.4Highest 4% below CT
	Wallingford Center 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%	17.3%±2.8Highest CT: 20.2%
	Wallingford Center and Vernon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.6%±1.7Lowest CT: 18.5%	21.4%±3Highest CT: 18.5%
	Wallingford Center and Vernon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38%Highest CT: 42.5%	35.8%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.8%±1.2Highest CT: 7.1%	5.7%±1.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Vernon and Wallingford Center 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	$89,959±$8kHighest 6% below CT
	Wallingford Center and Vernon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$275,500±$11kLowest 25% below CT	$319,200±$11kHighest 13% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,425±$77Highest 4% below CT	$1,336±$102Lowest 10% below CT
	Vernon and Wallingford Center are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,804Highest 13% below CT	$5,264Lowest 21% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.3%±5.7Lowest CT: 52.6%	40.8%±11.4Highest CT: 52.6%
	Wallingford Center 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%	7.1%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	53.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%	60.4%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 1 yr newer than CT	1960Lowest 7 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the CT average	25 minLowest 7% below CT
Work from home	13.4%±2.5Highest CT: 16%	12.9%±2.5Lowest CT: 16%
	Vernon and Wallingford Center 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	#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.