What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Shirley has the most expensive homes ($428k 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	Shirley
People
Population	12,579Highest	6,976Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.4±2.6Lowest 6% above U.S.	44.3±3.4Highest 14% above U.S.
	Shirley 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%	16.4%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Windsor Locks and Shirley 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%	19.8%±5.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Shirley 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%	36.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.7%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Windsor Locks and Shirley 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	$122,365±$16kHighest 52% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$258,800±$14kLowest 22% below U.S.	$427,600±$36kHighest 29% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,394±$187Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,481±$421Highest 5% above U.S.
	Shirley 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.	$5,156Highest 65% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.2%±16.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	57.1%±21.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Windsor Locks and Shirley 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%	9.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	77.4%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.	40 minHighest 53% above U.S.
Work from home	17.7%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21%±7.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Shirley 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	#239 of 282 in MA
School district	Windsor Locks School District	Ayer Shirley School District
High school in town	Windsor Locks High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	8.9	—
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.