What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Ludlow has the shortest commute (20 min average).

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	Ludlow
People
Population	44,362Highest	20,904Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-0.5% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.6±1.8Lowest 10% above U.S.	44.3±1.8Highest 14% above U.S.
	Ludlow and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.8%±1.9Highest U.S.: 22%	16.4%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Wallingford and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	21.8%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Ludlow and Wallingford 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%	27%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6%±1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wallingford and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,773±$5kHighest 30% above U.S.	$84,838±$7kLowest 5% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$353,100±$8kHighest 6% above U.S.	$335,300±$10kLowest about the U.S. average
	Wallingford and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,374±$84Highest about the U.S. average	$1,223±$82Lowest 13% below U.S.
	Wallingford and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,963Highest 91% above U.S.	$4,918Lowest 58% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.9%±8.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	50.7%±9.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ludlow 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%	6.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	77.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1964Lowest 16 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 8% below U.S.	20 minLowest 24% below U.S.
Work from home	13.3%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14%±3.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Ludlow and Wallingford 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	#154 of 282 in MA
School district	Wallingford School District	Ludlow
High school in town	Lyman Hall High School	Ludlow Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Lowest	11.1Highest
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.