What stands out worked out from the figures below

Winchester has the most affordable homes ($250k median).

Durham has the most people working from home (20%).

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	Winchester	Durham
People
Population	10,284Highest	3,347Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+28.6% CT: +0.9%
Median age	49.1±6.2Highest 19% above CT	47.9±5.4Lowest 17% above CT
	Winchester and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.4%±2.9Highest CT: 20.2%	15%±4.6Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Winchester and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.4%±5.1Highest CT: 18.5%	19.1%±4.5Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Winchester and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.8%Lowest CT: 42.5%	42.4%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.7 CT: 7.1%	4.2%±2.1 CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,519±$12kLowest 31% below CT	$152,396±$32kHighest 59% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$249,500±$17kLowest 32% below CT	$401,700±$32kHighest 9% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,174±$116Lowest 21% below CT	$1,625±$1kHighest 9% above CT
	Durham and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,780Lowest 28% below CT	$7,107Highest 7% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.9%±15.8Lowest CT: 52.6%	57.7%±35Highest CT: 52.6%
	Durham and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.8%Highest CT: 10%	6.1%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	65.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%	90%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 12 yrs older than CT	1975Highest 8 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the CT average	24 minLowest 10% below CT
Work from home	6.9%±2.7Lowest CT: 16%	20%±6.7Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#97 of 149 in CT	#88 of 149 in CT
School district	Explorations District · Regional School District 07	—
High school in town	Northwestern Regional High School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	9.7	—
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.