What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Rochester has the most expensive homes ($599k 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	Rochester
People
Population	12,579Highest	5,837Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+9.3% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.4±2.6Lowest 6% above U.S.	46.5±6Highest 20% above U.S.
	Rochester 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 U.S.: 22%	20.1%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Rochester and Windsor Locks 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%	20.1%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Rochester 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%	43.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Windsor Locks and Rochester 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	$120,273±$12kHighest 49% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$258,800±$14kLowest 22% below U.S.	$599,100±$31kHighest 80% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,394±$187Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,432±$743Highest about the U.S. average
	Rochester 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 18% above U.S.	$6,530Highest 109% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.2%±16.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39.1%±10.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Windsor Locks and Rochester 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%	5.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	88.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 17% below U.S.	37 minHighest 38% above U.S.
Work from home	17.7%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.3%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#109 of 149 in CT	#104 of 282 in MA
School district	Windsor Locks School District	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical · Rochester
High school in town	Windsor Locks High School	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	8.9Lowest	9.1Highest
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.