What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Spencer has the most people working from home (15%).

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	Spencer
People
Population	23,961Highest	12,008Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.6% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	33.7±1.9Lowest 13% below U.S.	48.9±6.8Highest 26% above U.S.
Kids under 18	20.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%	16.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Windham and Spencer 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%	26%±4.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	29.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15.2%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.2%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,736±$5kLowest 31% below U.S.	$80,533±$11kHighest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$209,800±$9kLowest 37% below U.S.	$382,000±$22kHighest 15% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,107±$69Highest 22% below U.S.	$1,078±$161Lowest 24% below U.S.
	Windham and Spencer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,633Highest 49% above U.S.	$4,387Lowest 41% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.1%±8.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	50.6%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Windham and Spencer 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%	11%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	47.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	63%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.	1968Highest 12 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.	34 minHighest 30% above U.S.
Work from home	6.1%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15%±7.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Spencer and Windham 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	#143 of 149 in CT	#261 of 282 in MA
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Eastern Connecticut Regional Educational Service Center (EAS	Spencer-E Brookfield
High school in town	Windham High School	David Prouty High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	9.9Highest
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.