What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waterford has the shortest commute (22 min average).

Hampton has the most people working from home (17.7%).

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	Waterford	Hampton
People
Population	19,673Highest	1,647Lowest
Median age	46±2.4Lowest 12% above CT	51.5±5.3Highest 25% above CT
	Hampton and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.1%±2.5Lowest CT: 20.2%	19.7%±5.3Highest CT: 20.2%
	Hampton and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.6%±2.1Lowest CT: 18.5%	26.1%±2.1Highest CT: 18.5%
	Hampton and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.6%Highest CT: 42.5%	29.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%	1.9%±1.1Lowest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,820±$9kLowest 9% above CT	$109,167±$19kHighest 14% above CT
	Hampton and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$355,900±$14kHighest about the CT average	$295,800±$27kLowest 19% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,651±$153Highest 11% above CT	$1,285±$288Lowest 14% below CT
	Waterford and Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,876Highest 27% below CT	$4,364Lowest 34% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.4%±12Lowest CT: 52.6%	52.5%±51.5Highest CT: 52.6%
	Hampton and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.6%Lowest CT: 10%	5.7%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%	90%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 1 yr newer than CT	1980Highest 13 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 18% below CT	29 minHighest 9% above CT
Work from home	10.2%±2.2Lowest CT: 16%	17.7%±5.1Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#80 of 149 in CT	—
School district	Learn · Waterford School District	Hampton School District
High school in town	Waterford High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1	—
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.