What stands out worked out from the figures below

Winsted has the most renters (45.3% rent).

Preston has the highest household income ($117k).

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	Winsted	Preston
People
Population	6,977Highest	4,821Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.7% CT: +0.9%	—
Median age	47.6±7.3Highest 16% above CT	46.2±7Lowest 12% above CT
	Winsted and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±3.3Lowest CT: 20.2%	18.7%±4.4Highest CT: 20.2%
	Preston and Winsted are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25%±4.2Highest CT: 18.5%	23%±4.7Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Winsted and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.8%Lowest CT: 42.5%	28.5%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±2.4 CT: 7.1%	4.9%±2.4 CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,871±$12kLowest 32% below CT	$116,648±$27kHighest 22% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$218,900±$14kLowest 40% below CT	$361,900±$13kHighest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,183±$130Lowest 20% below CT	$1,433±$1kHighest 4% below CT
	Preston and Winsted are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,754Lowest 43% below CT	$4,749Highest 29% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.5%±16.7Lowest CT: 52.6%	52.6%±12.5Highest CT: 52.6%
	Preston and Winsted are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.9%Highest CT: 10%	2.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%	91.7%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 25 yrs older than CT	1970Highest 3 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 5% below CT	22 minLowest 17% below CT
Work from home	7.7%±3.5Lowest CT: 16%	10.3%±6Highest CT: 16%
	Preston and Winsted 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	—	#93 of 149 in CT
School district	—	Preston School District
High school in town	—	None in town
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.