What stands out worked out from the figures below

Willimantic has the most kids (36.5% under 18).

Beals has the most expensive homes ($257k 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	Willimantic	Beals
People
Population	200Lowest	498Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-12.8% ME: +2.6%
Median age	38.5±11.9Lowest 14% below ME	48±15.6Highest 7% above ME
	Beals and Willimantic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	36.5%±11.4Highest ME: 18.1%	16.1%±6.5Lowest ME: 18.1%
Age 65+	25.5%±16.2Lowest ME: 22.4%	30.1%±5.1Highest ME: 22.4%
	Beals and Willimantic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	15.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%	37.6%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±6.9Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.8%±5.5Highest ME: 5.8%
	Beals and Willimantic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$63,472±$52kLowest 15% below ME	$64,063±$14kHighest 14% below ME
	Beals and Willimantic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$131,700±$21kLowest 56% below ME	$256,700±$45kHighest 13% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$907±$378 20% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,285Lowest 58% below ME	$2,580Highest 15% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	7.4%±71.2 ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	32.5%Highest ME: 10.7%	10.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.2%Highest ME: 74.3%	83.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 9 yrs newer than ME	1974Lowest 3 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 6% below ME	21 minLowest 17% below ME
Work from home	13.8%±13.9Lowest ME: 15.9%	17.6%±10.9Highest ME: 15.9%
	Beals and Willimantic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Beals Public Schools
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.