What stands out worked out from the figures below

Westport has the most people working from home (41.5%).

Staples has the most affordable homes ($1166k 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	Westport	Staples
People
Population	27,528Highest	7,340Lowest
Median age	45.4±1.5Lowest 10% above CT	48.7±2.9Highest 18% above CT
	Staples and Westport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	27.9%±2.7Highest CT: 20.2%	25.3%±3.9Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Westport and Staples are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.5%±1.8Lowest CT: 18.5%	19.3%±3.2Highest CT: 18.5%
	Staples and Westport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	79.9%Highest CT: 42.5%	73%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±0.8Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.4%±1.9Highest CT: 7.1%
	Staples and Westport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$250,001Highest 161% above CT	$192,656±$58kLowest 101% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$1,405,200±$124kHighest 283% above CT	$1,165,500±$64kLowest 218% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,509±$709Highest 69% above CT	$2,328±$387Lowest 56% above CT
	Westport and Staples are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+ at least 51% above CT	$10,000+ at least 51% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.8%±11Highest CT: 52.6%	47.1%±21.1Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Westport and Staples are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.2%Lowest CT: 10%	4.4%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.8%Highest CT: 66.5%	86.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967 same as CT	1967 same as CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	41 minLowest 54% above CT	43 minHighest 63% above CT
Work from home	41.5%±3.6Highest CT: 16%	29.7%±6Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#3 of 149 in CT	—
School district	Westport School District	—
High school in town	Staples High School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7	—
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.