What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Washington has the most expensive homes ($660k 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	Washington
People
Population	30,577Highest	3,676Lowest
Median age	39.4±2.5Lowest 4% below CT	49.9±5.5Highest 21% above CT
Kids under 18	16.9%±2Lowest CT: 20.2%	19%±4.7Highest CT: 20.2%
	Washington 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%	26.9%±5.3Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38%Lowest CT: 42.5%	53.7%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.8%±1.2Highest CT: 7.1%	6.4%±3.3Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Vernon and Washington 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	$101,549±$16kHighest 6% above CT
	Washington 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	$660,200±$130kHighest 80% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,425±$77Highest 4% below CT	$1,204±$264Lowest 19% below CT
	Vernon and Washington 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	$4,709Lowest 29% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.3%±5.7Highest CT: 52.6%	26.1%±24Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Vernon and Washington 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%	9%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	53.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%	79%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 1 yr newer than CT	1971Highest 4 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the CT average	26 minLowest 4% below CT
Work from home	13.4%±2.5Lowest CT: 16%	20.1%±9Highest CT: 16%
	Washington and Vernon 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	#17 of 149 in CT
School district	Vernon School District	Regional School District 12
High school in town	Rockville High School	Shepaug Valley School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Highest	9.1Lowest
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.