What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Douglas has the highest household income ($152k).

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	Douglas
People
Population	3,676Lowest	9,207Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+6% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.9±5.5Highest 28% above U.S.	44±2.6Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Washington and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.2%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Douglas and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.9%±5.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	53.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	41.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Washington and Douglas 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 26% above U.S.	$152,267±$10kHighest 89% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$660,200±$130kHighest 98% above U.S.	$470,600±$29kLowest 41% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$264Lowest 15% below U.S.	$1,503±$697Highest 6% above U.S.
	Douglas and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,709Lowest 51% above U.S.	$6,338Highest 103% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26.1%±24Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	33.9%±17.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Douglas and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 3% below U.S.	34 minHighest 28% above U.S.
Work from home	20.1%±9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	20.9%±4.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Douglas and Washington 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	#177 of 282 in MA
School district	Regional School District 12	Douglas
High school in town	Shepaug Valley School	Douglas High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.1Highest	7.2Lowest
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.