What stands out worked out from the figures below

Willington has the shortest commute (26 min average).

Crystal Lake has the most kids (24.5% under 18).

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	Willington	Crystal Lake
People
Population	5,575Highest	2,024Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+10.6% CT: +0.9%
Median age	37.5±7.2Lowest 9% below CT	48.9±7.6Highest 19% above CT
	Crystal Lake and Willington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.8%±4.9Lowest CT: 20.2%	24.5%±7.5Highest CT: 20.2%
	Crystal Lake and Willington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.3%±6.4 CT: 18.5%	23.3%±5.1 CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.2%Lowest CT: 42.5%	45.9%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14.6%±6.8Highest CT: 7.1%	6.3%±3.7Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Willington and Crystal Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,114±$12kLowest 5% below CT	$143,882±$29kHighest 50% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$305,800±$48kLowest 17% below CT	$361,800±$35kHighest about the CT average
	Crystal Lake and Willington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,357±$116 9% below CT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,419Lowest 18% below CT	$7,146Highest 8% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	70%±20.6Highest CT: 52.6%	0%±93.3Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Willington and Crystal Lake are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13%Highest CT: 10%	1.7%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64%Lowest CT: 66.5%	91.4%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 9 yrs newer than CT	1977Highest 10 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the CT average	39 minHighest 47% above CT
Work from home	10.5%±4.7Lowest CT: 16%	17.5%±10Highest CT: 16%
	Crystal Lake and Willington 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	#104 of 149 in CT	—
School district	Willington School District	—
High school in town	None in town	—
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.