What stands out worked out from the figures below

Washington has the most expensive homes ($660k median).

Canterbury has the most affordable homes ($334k 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	Washington	Canterbury
People
Population	3,676Lowest	5,124Highest
Median age	49.9±5.5Highest 21% above CT	48.4±4.5Lowest 18% above CT
	Washington and Canterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±4.7Highest CT: 20.2%	15%±3.5Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Washington and Canterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.9%±5.3Highest CT: 18.5%	25.5%±4.4Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Washington and Canterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	53.7%Highest CT: 42.5%	26.2%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.4%±3.3Highest CT: 7.1%	4.4%±2Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Washington and Canterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$101,549±$16kLowest 6% above CT	$103,198±$6kHighest 8% above CT
	Canterbury and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$660,200±$130kHighest 80% above CT	$334,200±$12kLowest 9% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$264Highest 19% below CT	$924±$367Lowest 38% below CT
	Washington and Canterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,709Highest 29% below CT	$4,140Lowest 38% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26.1%±24Lowest CT: 52.6%	40%±13Highest CT: 52.6%
	Canterbury and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9%Highest CT: 10%	4.9%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79%Lowest CT: 66.5%	88.7%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 4 yrs newer than CT	1975Highest 8 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 4% below CT	32 minHighest 20% above CT
Work from home	20.1%±9Highest CT: 16%	14.7%±5.4Lowest CT: 16%
	Washington and Canterbury 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	#17 of 149 in CT	#125 of 149 in CT
School district	Regional School District 12	Canterbury School District
High school in town	Shepaug Valley School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.1	—
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.