What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Torrington has the most affordable homes ($216k 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	Torrington
People
Population	44,362Highest	35,547Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-2.4% CT: +0.9%
Median age	42.6±1.8Lowest 4% above CT	42.9±1.8Highest 4% above CT
	Torrington 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 CT: 20.2%	17.9%±1.6Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Wallingford and Torrington 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%	19.2%±1.5Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Wallingford and Torrington 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%	24.8%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6%±1Highest CT: 7.1%	4.7%±1.1Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Wallingford and Torrington 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 9% above CT	$70,856±$5kLowest 26% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$353,100±$8kHighest 4% below CT	$215,500±$8kLowest 41% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,374±$84Highest 8% below CT	$1,169±$43Lowest 21% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,963Highest 10% below CT	$5,042Lowest 24% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.9%±8.9Lowest CT: 52.6%	48%±6.3Highest CT: 52.6%
	Torrington 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%	13.7%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.8%Highest CT: 66.5%	66.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 5 yrs newer than CT	1960Lowest 7 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below CT	25 minHighest 6% below CT
Work from home	13.3%±2Highest CT: 16%	9%±1.6Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#108 of 149 in CT	#132 of 149 in CT
School district	Wallingford School District	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Torrington School District
High school in town	Lyman Hall High School	Torrington High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Lowest	11.9Highest
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.