What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windsor Locks has the shortest commute (22 min average).

Ashford has the highest household income ($122k).

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	Windsor Locks	Ashford
People
Population	12,579Highest	4,226Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.9% CT: +0.9%	—
Median age	41.4±2.6Highest about the CT average	37.9±10.3Lowest 8% below CT
	Windsor Locks and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.4Highest CT: 20.2%	18.5%±5.5Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Windsor Locks and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±2.7Lowest CT: 18.5%	18.9%±3.7Highest CT: 18.5%
	Ashford and Windsor Locks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.6%Lowest CT: 42.5%	35.3%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.8Highest CT: 7.1%	4.4%±1.7Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Windsor Locks and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,205±$13kLowest 15% below CT	$121,926±$23kHighest 27% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$258,800±$14kLowest 29% below CT	$334,800±$18kHighest 9% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,394±$187Highest 6% below CT	$1,246±$208Lowest 16% below CT
	Windsor Locks and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,688Lowest 44% below CT	$6,982Highest 5% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.2%±16.8Highest CT: 52.6%	47%±26Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Windsor Locks and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.9%Highest CT: 10%	5.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.1%Highest CT: 66.5%	76.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT	1982Highest 15 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 17% below CT	34 minHighest 30% above CT
Work from home	17.7%±3.7Lowest CT: 16%	19.3%±5.5Highest CT: 16%
	Ashford and Windsor Locks 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	#109 of 149 in CT	#90 of 149 in CT
School district	—	Ashford 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.