What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wolcott has the most affordable homes ($326k median).

Fairhaven has the most expensive homes ($447k 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	Wolcott	Fairhaven
People
Population	16,279Highest	15,903Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+0.3% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.4±2.5Lowest 14% above U.S.	48.5±3.4Highest 25% above U.S.
	Fairhaven and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±3.1Highest U.S.: 22%	16.9%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Wolcott and Fairhaven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.8%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.9%±2.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	32.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.3%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wolcott and Fairhaven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,850±$10kHighest 37% above U.S.	$95,965±$19kLowest 19% above U.S.
	Wolcott and Fairhaven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$326,200±$17kLowest about the U.S. average	$446,700±$19kHighest 34% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,464±$913Highest 4% above U.S.	$1,118±$79Lowest 21% below U.S.
	Wolcott and Fairhaven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,799Highest 86% above U.S.	$3,566Lowest 14% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.8%±24.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	51.1%±14Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Fairhaven and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	74.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 13% above U.S.	29 minLowest 8% above U.S.
Work from home	11.2%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	11.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Fairhaven and Wolcott 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	#76 of 149 in CT	#126 of 282 in MA
School district	Wolcott School District	Fairhaven
High school in town	Wolcott High School	Fairhaven High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.1Lowest	11.4Highest
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.