What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Chaplin has the most affordable homes ($255k 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	Chaplin
People
Population	3,676Highest	2,070Lowest
Median age	49.9±5.5Highest 21% above CT	43.7±4.8Lowest 6% above CT
	Washington and Chaplin 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%	15.7%±4.2Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Washington and Chaplin 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%	20.9%±4.4Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Washington and Chaplin 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%	25.4%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.4%±3.3Lowest CT: 7.1%	10.1%±6.2Highest CT: 7.1%
	Chaplin and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$101,549±$16kHighest 6% above CT	$97,846±$14kLowest about the CT average
	Washington and Chaplin 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	$255,200±$24kLowest 30% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$264Lowest 19% below CT	$1,473±$275Highest about the CT average
	Chaplin and Washington 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	$4,524Lowest 32% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26.1%±24Lowest CT: 52.6%	33.6%±27.7Highest CT: 52.6%
	Chaplin 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%	5.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79%Lowest CT: 66.5%	82.9%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 4 yrs newer than CT	1979Highest 12 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 4% below CT	32 minHighest 22% above CT
Work from home	20.1%±9Highest CT: 16%	18.1%±10Lowest CT: 16%
	Washington and Chaplin 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	—
School district	Regional School District 12	Chaplin School District · Regional School District 11
High school in town	Shepaug Valley School	Parish Hill High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.1Highest	7.5Lowest
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.