What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Essex has the most affordable homes ($552k 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	Essex
People
Population	3,676Lowest	6,794Highest
Median age	49.9±5.5Lowest 21% above CT	52.4±3.6Highest 27% above CT
	Essex and Washington 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%	16.2%±3.3Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Washington and Essex 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%	26.4%±3.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Washington and Essex are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	53.7%Lowest CT: 42.5%	54.9%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.4%±3.3Lowest CT: 7.1%	8.7%±3.7Highest CT: 7.1%
	Essex 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±$16kLowest 6% above CT	$104,395±$7kHighest 9% above CT
	Essex 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	$552,000±$53kLowest 50% above CT
	Washington and Essex are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$264Lowest 19% below CT	$1,623±$326Highest 9% above CT
	Essex and Washington 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	$5,678Highest 15% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26.1%±24Lowest CT: 52.6%	38.5%±9.7Highest CT: 52.6%
	Essex 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%	3.2%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79%Highest CT: 66.5%	78.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971 4 yrs newer than CT	1971 4 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 4% below CT	27 minHighest 3% above CT
Work from home	20.1%±9Highest CT: 16%	19.4%±4.6Lowest CT: 16%
	Washington and Essex 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	#33 of 149 in CT
School district	Regional School District 12	Essex 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.