What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wallingford has the shortest commute (24 min average).

Southwick has the most people working from home (16.2%).

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	Southwick
People
Population	44,362Highest	9,217Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-2.8% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.6±1.8Lowest 10% above U.S.	46.8±1.8Highest 20% above U.S.
Kids under 18	18.8%±1.9Highest U.S.: 22%	18.2%±3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Wallingford and Southwick 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%	21%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wallingford and Southwick 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%	35.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6%±1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wallingford and Southwick 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 30% above U.S.	$120,462±$16kHighest 49% above U.S.
	Southwick 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 6% above U.S.	$397,500±$27kHighest 19% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,374±$84Highest about the U.S. average	$1,332±$72Lowest 6% below U.S.
	Wallingford and Southwick 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.	$5,331Lowest 71% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.9%±8.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	51%±10Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Southwick 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 U.S.: 12.5%	4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.	29 minHighest 8% above U.S.
Work from home	13.3%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.2%±5.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Southwick 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	#211 of 282 in MA
School district	Wallingford School District	Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District
High school in town	Lyman Hall High School	Southwick Regional School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Lowest	11.0Highest
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.