What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windsor Locks has the most people working from home (17.7%).

Johnston has the most expensive homes ($356k 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	Windsor Locks	Johnston
People
Population	12,579Lowest	29,835Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.8% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.4±2.6Lowest 6% above U.S.	44.5±2.5Highest 14% above U.S.
	Johnston and Windsor Locks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22%	17.5%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Windsor Locks and Johnston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.1%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Johnston 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 U.S.: 35.7%	28.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Johnston and Windsor Locks 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 about the U.S. average	$91,866±$6kHighest 14% above U.S.
	Johnston and Windsor Locks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$258,800±$14kLowest 22% below U.S.	$355,500±$13kHighest 7% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,394±$187Highest about the U.S. average	$1,275±$132Lowest 10% below U.S.
	Windsor Locks and Johnston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,688Lowest 18% above U.S.	$4,614Highest 48% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.2%±16.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	38.1%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Windsor Locks and Johnston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	75.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1968Highest 12 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 17% below U.S.	24 minHighest 11% below U.S.
Work from home	17.7%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.9%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#109 of 149 in CT	#32 of 38 in RI
School district	Windsor Locks School District	Johnston
High school in town	Windsor Locks High School	Johnston Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school	8.9Lowest	10.3Highest
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.