What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

New Preston has the most people working from home (32.3%).

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	New Preston
People
Population	3,676Highest	1,146Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-4.7% CT: +0.9%
Median age	49.9±5.5Lowest 21% above CT	51.8±12.8Highest 26% above CT
	New Preston 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%	16.9%±7Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Washington and New Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.9%±5.3Lowest CT: 18.5%	31.3%±5.5Highest CT: 18.5%
	New Preston and Washington 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%	57.8%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.4%±3.3Highest CT: 7.1%	5.8%±4.7Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Washington and New Preston 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	$76,406±$28kLowest 20% below CT
	Washington and New Preston 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	$452,600±$43kLowest 23% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$264 19% below CT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,709Highest 29% below CT	$3,528Lowest 47% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26.1%±24Highest CT: 52.6%	7.4%±89.8Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Washington and New Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9%Lowest CT: 10%	15.8%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79%Lowest CT: 66.5%	85.1%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 4 yrs newer than CT	1968Lowest 1 yr newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 4% below CT	29 minHighest 8% above CT
Work from home	20.1%±9Lowest CT: 16%	32.3%±28Highest CT: 16%
	New Preston 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	—
School district	Regional School District 12	—
High school in town	Shepaug Valley School	—
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.