What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Durham has the highest household income ($159k).

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	Durham
People
Population	3,676Lowest	7,208Highest
Median age	49.9±5.5Highest 21% above CT	45.5±2.8Lowest 11% above CT
	Washington and Durham 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%	16.4%±3.6Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Washington and Durham 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%	17.4%±3.7Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	53.7%Highest CT: 42.5%	47.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.4%±3.3Highest CT: 7.1%	3.6%±1.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Washington and Durham 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	$158,857±$7kHighest 66% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$660,200±$130kHighest 80% above CT	$424,800±$23kLowest 16% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$264Highest 19% below CT	$1,154±$448Lowest 22% below CT
	Washington and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,709Lowest 29% below CT	$7,998Highest 20% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26.1%±24Lowest CT: 52.6%	44.9%±28.4Highest CT: 52.6%
	Durham 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%	3.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79%Lowest CT: 66.5%	93.2%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 4 yrs newer than CT	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 4% below CT	23 minLowest 13% below CT
Work from home	20.1%±9Lowest CT: 16%	20.5%±6.4Highest CT: 16%
	Durham 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	#88 of 149 in CT
School district	Regional School District 12	Regional School District 13
High school in town	Shepaug Valley School	Coginchaug Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.1Highest	8.9Lowest
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.