What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has the most affordable homes ($210k median).

Ipswich has the most expensive homes ($745k 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	Windham	Ipswich
People
Population	23,961Highest	13,930Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4.6% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	33.7±1.9Lowest 13% below U.S.	47.2±3.5Highest 21% above U.S.
Kids under 18	20.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%	18.9%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Windham and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.3%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	21.9%±2.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	60.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15.2%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,736±$5kLowest 31% below U.S.	$138,750±$16kHighest 72% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$209,800±$9kLowest 37% below U.S.	$745,400±$40kHighest 124% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,107±$69Lowest 22% below U.S.	$1,598±$90Highest 13% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,633Lowest 49% above U.S.	$7,960Highest 155% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.1%±8.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	51.5%±12.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Windham and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	20.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	47.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	74.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.	1964Highest 16 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	6.1%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.9%±3.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#143 of 149 in CT	#101 of 282 in MA
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Eastern Connecticut Regional Educational Service Center (EAS	Ipswich
High school in town	Windham High School	Ipswich High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Highest	9.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.