What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Springfield has the most renters (50.4% 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	Springfield
People
Population	44,362Lowest	154,749Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+1.9% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.6±1.8Highest 10% above U.S.	33.7±0.5Lowest 13% below U.S.
Kids under 18	18.8%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	24.2%±0.9Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	21.2%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	13.2%±0.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	7.5%±0.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Springfield and Wallingford 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.	$52,656±$2kLowest 35% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$353,100±$8kHighest 6% above U.S.	$245,000±$4kLowest 26% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,374±$84Highest about the U.S. average	$1,144±$55Lowest 19% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,963Highest 91% above U.S.	$3,695Lowest 18% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.9%±8.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.7%±3.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	5.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	25.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	49.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 8% below U.S.	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.
Work from home	13.3%±2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#108 of 149 in CT	#276 of 282 in MA
School district	Wallingford School District	Springfield
High school in town	Lyman Hall High School	Springfield Central High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Lowest	12.2Highest
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.