What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wallingford has the highest household income ($105k).

Chicopee has the most renters (44.3% rent).

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	Wallingford	Chicopee
People
Population	44,362Lowest	55,295Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+0.5% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.6±1.8Highest 10% above U.S.	41.9±1.4Lowest 8% above U.S.
	Wallingford and Chicopee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.8%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.2%±1.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Chicopee and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.2%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.5%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wallingford and Chicopee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	22.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6%±1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.7%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,773±$5kHighest 30% above U.S.	$62,615±$6kLowest 22% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$353,100±$8kHighest 6% above U.S.	$274,500±$8kLowest 17% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,374±$84Highest about the U.S. average	$1,157±$50Lowest 18% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,963Highest 91% above U.S.	$3,847Lowest 23% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.9%±8.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52%±5.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Chicopee and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	55.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1958Lowest 22 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 8% below U.S.	21 minLowest 19% below U.S.
Work from home	13.3%±2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#108 of 149 in CT	#247 of 282 in MA
School district	Wallingford School District	Chicopee
High school in town	Lyman Hall High School	Chicopee Comprehensive High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Lowest	11.2Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.