What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waterford has the most kids (19.1% under 18).

Suffield has the most people working from home (18.4%).

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	Suffield
People
Population	19,673Highest	15,702Lowest
Median age	46±2.4Highest 12% above CT	44.5±1.7Lowest 8% above CT
	Waterford and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.1%±2.5Highest CT: 20.2%	16.2%±2Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Waterford and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.6%±2.1Highest CT: 18.5%	18.4%±2.2Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Waterford and Suffield 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%	40.4%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%	4.4%±1.2Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Waterford and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,820±$9kLowest 9% above CT	$119,472±$13kHighest 25% above CT
	Suffield 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±$14kLowest about the CT average	$407,500±$26kHighest 11% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,651±$153Highest 11% above CT	$1,424±$141Lowest 4% below CT
	Waterford and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,876Lowest 27% below CT	$6,456Highest about the CT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.4%±12Lowest CT: 52.6%	51%±4.6Highest CT: 52.6%
	Suffield and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.6% CT: 10%	4.6% CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%	86.7%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 1 yr newer than CT	1979Highest 12 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 18% below CT	26 minHighest 3% below CT
Work from home	10.2%±2.2Lowest CT: 16%	18.4%±4.1Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#80 of 149 in CT	#57 of 149 in CT
School district	Learn · Waterford School District	Suffield School District
High school in town	Waterford High School	Suffield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Highest	10.9Lowest
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.