What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wallingford has the most affordable homes ($353k median).

Shelton has the most expensive homes ($453k 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	Wallingford	Shelton
People
Population	44,362Highest	41,889Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.3% CT: +0.9%
Median age	42.6±1.8Lowest 4% above CT	44.5±1.5Highest 8% above CT
	Shelton 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%	18.9%±1.7Highest CT: 20.2%
	Shelton and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.2%±1.7Lowest CT: 18.5%	21.4%±1.5Highest CT: 18.5%
	Shelton 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%Lowest CT: 42.5%	41.7%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6%±1Highest CT: 7.1%	5.8%±1Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Wallingford and Shelton 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	$108,185±$11kHighest 13% above CT
	Shelton and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$353,100±$8kLowest 4% below CT	$452,600±$13kHighest 23% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,374±$84Lowest 8% below CT	$1,741±$216Highest 17% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,963Highest 10% below CT	$5,409Lowest 19% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.9%±8.9Lowest CT: 52.6%	53.8%±9.8Highest CT: 52.6%
	Shelton 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 CT: 10%	6.6%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%	76.5%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 14% above CT
Work from home	13.3%±2Lowest CT: 16%	13.9%±2.8Highest CT: 16%
	Shelton 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	#71 of 149 in CT
School district	Wallingford School District	Shelton School District
High school in town	Lyman Hall High School	Shelton High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Lowest	14.3Highest
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.