What stands out worked out from the figures below

Willington has the shortest commute (26 min average).

Sterling has the most kids (22.8% 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	Sterling
People
Population	5,575Highest	3,629Lowest
Median age	37.5±7.2Lowest 9% below CT	39.4±5.9Highest 4% below CT
	Sterling 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%	22.8%±5.9Highest CT: 20.2%
	Sterling and Willington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.3%±6.4Highest CT: 18.5%	13%±3.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.2%Highest CT: 42.5%	18%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14.6%±6.8Highest CT: 7.1%	3.7%±1.9Lowest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,114±$12kLowest 5% below CT	$102,695±$12kHighest 7% above CT
	Sterling and Willington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$305,800±$48kHighest 17% below CT	$283,400±$17kLowest 23% below CT
	Willington and Sterling 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	$5,419Highest 18% below CT	$4,551Lowest 31% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	70%±20.6Highest CT: 52.6%	32%±18.1Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Willington and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13%Highest CT: 10%	8.3%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64%Lowest CT: 66.5%	81.1%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 9 yrs newer than CT	1988Highest 21 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the CT average	35 minHighest 34% above CT
Work from home	10.5%±4.7Lowest CT: 16%	11.6%±6.4Highest CT: 16%
	Sterling 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	#119 of 149 in CT
School district	Willington School District	Sterling School District
High school in town	None 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.