What stands out worked out from the figures below

Washington has the most people working from home (20.1%).

Webster has the most affordable homes ($362k 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	Webster
People
Population	3,676Lowest	17,748Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+6% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.9±5.5Highest 28% above U.S.	39.9±2.9Lowest about the U.S. average
Kids under 18	19%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.6%±2.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Webster 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%	19.6%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Washington and Webster 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 U.S.: 35.7%	25.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Washington and Webster 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 26% above U.S.	$72,895±$6kLowest 10% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$660,200±$130kHighest 98% above U.S.	$361,500±$12kLowest 9% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$264Lowest 15% below U.S.	$1,228±$81Highest 13% below U.S.
	Webster and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,709Highest 51% above U.S.	$3,999Lowest 28% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26.1%±24Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	45.7%±6.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Webster and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	12.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	59.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1962Lowest 18 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 3% below U.S.	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.
Work from home	20.1%±9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#17 of 149 in CT	#271 of 282 in MA
School district	Regional School District 12	Webster
High school in town	Shepaug Valley School	Bartlett High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.1Lowest	11.6Highest
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.