What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windsor Locks has the most affordable homes ($259k median).

Madison has the most expensive homes ($584k 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	Madison
People
Population	12,579Lowest	17,616Highest
Median age	41.4±2.6Lowest about the CT average	51.9±1.9Highest 26% above CT
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.4Highest CT: 20.2%	18.1%±2.2Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Windsor Locks and Madison 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%	25.2%±2.4Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.6%Lowest CT: 42.5%	72.4%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.8 CT: 7.1%	5.9%±1.5 CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,205±$13kLowest 15% below CT	$167,442±$16kHighest 75% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$258,800±$14kLowest 29% below CT	$583,900±$30kHighest 59% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,394±$187Lowest 6% below CT	$2,025±$741Highest 36% above CT
	Madison and Windsor Locks 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	$8,843Highest 33% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.2%±16.8Highest CT: 52.6%	44%±12.3Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Windsor Locks and Madison 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%	3.6%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%	90.4%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 17% below CT	30 minHighest 12% above CT
Work from home	17.7%±3.7Lowest CT: 16%	30.2%±5.3Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#109 of 149 in CT	#7 of 149 in CT
School district	Windsor Locks School District	Madison School District
High school in town	Windsor Locks High School	Daniel Hand High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.9Lowest	9.8Highest
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.