What stands out worked out from the figures below

West Haven has grown the fastest since 2010 (0%).

Norwich has the most affordable homes ($242k 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	West Haven	Norwich
People
Population	55,351Highest	39,973Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	0%Highest CT: +0.9%	-0.9%Lowest CT: +0.9%
Median age	35.8±1.5Lowest 13% below CT	38.5±1.7Highest 6% below CT
	Norwich and West Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.3%±1.9Lowest CT: 20.2%	20.9%±1.8Highest CT: 20.2%
	Norwich and West Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16%±1.3Lowest CT: 18.5%	16.9%±1.7Highest CT: 18.5%
	Norwich and West Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.5%Highest CT: 42.5%	23.1%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	13.6%±1.6Highest CT: 7.1%	5.6%±1.2Lowest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,382±$5kHighest 22% below CT	$65,024±$5kLowest 32% below CT
	West Haven and Norwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$291,700±$9kHighest 20% below CT	$242,300±$11kLowest 34% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,442±$43Highest 3% below CT	$1,253±$68Lowest 16% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,941Highest 4% above CT	$4,703Lowest 29% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.4%±5.8Lowest CT: 52.6%	56.2%±7.2Highest CT: 52.6%
	Norwich and West Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.1%Lowest CT: 10%	16.7%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.6%Lowest CT: 66.5%	53.8%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Highest 8 yrs older than CT	1957Lowest 10 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below CT	24 minHighest 9% below CT
Work from home	9.2%±1.4Highest CT: 16%	7.2%±2Lowest CT: 16%
	West Haven and Norwich 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	#120 of 149 in CT	#133 of 149 in CT
School district	New Haven School District · West Haven School District	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Norwich School District
High school in town	West Haven High School	Norwich Free Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	15.6Highest	14.8Lowest
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.