What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Reading has the most people working from home (30.2%).

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	Reading
People
Population	16,279Lowest	25,612Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.4±2.5Highest 14% above U.S.	43.7±2.3Lowest 12% above U.S.
	Wolcott and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.8%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Reading and Wolcott 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%	20.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Reading and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	66.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.9%±0.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wolcott and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,850±$10kLowest 37% above U.S.	$165,912±$13kHighest 106% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$326,200±$17kLowest about the U.S. average	$809,000±$22kHighest 143% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,464±$913Lowest 4% above U.S.	$1,991±$273Highest 41% above U.S.
	Reading and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,799Lowest 86% above U.S.	$9,320Highest 199% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.8%±24.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	27.8%±9.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wolcott and Reading 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%	3.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1960Lowest 20 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 13% above U.S.	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	11.2%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	30.2%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#76 of 149 in CT	#50 of 282 in MA
School district	Wolcott School District	Reading
High school in town	Wolcott High School	Reading Memorial High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.1Lowest	12.1Highest
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.