What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wallingford has the shortest commute (24 min average).

East Hampton has the highest household income ($125k).

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	East Hampton
People
Population	44,362Highest	12,925Lowest
Median age	42.6±1.8Lowest 4% above CT	43.6±3.7Highest 6% above CT
	East Hampton and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.8%±1.9Lowest CT: 20.2%	21.4%±3Highest CT: 20.2%
	East Hampton 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 CT: 18.5%	20.8%±2.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Wallingford and East Hampton 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 CT: 42.5%	39%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6%±1Highest CT: 7.1%	5.2%±1.8Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Wallingford and East Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,773±$5kLowest 9% above CT	$124,577±$11kHighest 30% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$353,100±$8kHighest 4% below CT	$349,000±$14kLowest 5% below CT
	Wallingford and East Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,374±$84Lowest 8% below CT	$1,393±$150Highest 6% below CT
	East Hampton and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,963Lowest 10% below CT	$6,681Highest about the CT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.9%±8.9Lowest CT: 52.6%	48.7%±16.4Highest CT: 52.6%
	East Hampton and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.4%Highest CT: 10%	4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%	85.5%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 5 yrs newer than CT	1977Highest 10 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below CT	30 minHighest 11% above CT
Work from home	13.3%±2Highest CT: 16%	12.7%±2.4Lowest CT: 16%
	Wallingford and East Hampton 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	#108 of 149 in CT	#75 of 149 in CT
School district	Wallingford School District	East Hampton School District
High school in town	Lyman Hall High School	East Hampton High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Lowest	11.3Highest
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.