What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Ridgefield has the most expensive homes ($836k 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	Ridgefield
People
Population	12,579Lowest	25,109Highest
Median age	41.4±2.6Lowest about the CT average	45.1±1.4Highest 10% above CT
	Ridgefield 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%±3.4Lowest CT: 20.2%	24.8%±2.3Highest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	18.2%±2.7Lowest CT: 18.5%	18.7%±1.9Highest CT: 18.5%
	Ridgefield 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%	72.6%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.8Highest CT: 7.1%	4.5%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Windsor Locks and Ridgefield 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	$179,219±$12kHighest 87% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$258,800±$14kLowest 29% below CT	$836,200±$26kHighest 128% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,394±$187Lowest 6% below CT	$2,026±$200Highest 36% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,688Lowest 44% below CT	$10,000+Highest at least 51% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.2%±16.8Highest CT: 52.6%	53.3%±12Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Windsor Locks and Ridgefield 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%	3.5%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%	83.5%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT	1972Highest 5 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 17% below CT	33 minHighest 25% above CT
Work from home	17.7%±3.7Lowest CT: 16%	29.7%±3.7Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#109 of 149 in CT	#4 of 149 in CT
School district	Windsor Locks School District	Ridgefield School District
High school in town	Windsor Locks High School	Ridgefield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.9Lowest	11.4Highest
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.