Shelton was named as the 16th “Best Place for Young Families in Connecticut” in a study by NerdWallet.com.
The study used U.S. Census data to consider four factors — home affordability; growth and prosperity; education quality; and family friendliness.
For Shelton, NerdWallet found that the:
— median home value was $348,400
— family income grew 57% from 1999 to 2103
— median family income in 2013 was $105,580
— 22% of families have at least one child under age 18
Simsbury tops the list
NerdWallet compared 47 communities in the Connecticut study. Simsbury, a suburb of Hartford, was ranked No. 1, while closer to Shelton, Trumbull was ranked No. 2 and Orange was No. 5.
In the comments section, some people questioned the methodology of the study. A few raised concerns about how well the state’s largest cities did on the list, and one person criticized the decent rankings of less affluent, small cities such as Ansonia, Derby and Naugatuck.
The top 20
The ranking of top 20, plus some other communities close to Shelton, were:
1. Simsbury
2. Trumbull
3. Kensington
4. Glastonbury
5. Orange
6. Wethersfield
7. Newington
8. Winsted
9. Portland
10. North Haven
11. West Hartford
12. Terryville
13. Bethel
14. Pawtucket
15. Oakville
16. Shelton
17. Wallingford
18. Milford
19. Ridgefield
20. Windsor Locks
—
24. Naugatuck
25. Stratford
29. West Haven
35. Ansonia
36. Waterbury
38. Derby
43. Bridgeport
Affordability, schools, neighbors
“Even though [Connecticut’s] location, in the middle of the megalopolis between Boston and New York, puts young couples in the right location for a wide range of employment opportunities, there are also significant challenges for families just starting out — mostly affordability,” NerdWallet wrote about its list.
“While parts of Connecticut have some of the highest housing costs in the country, NerdWallet found the communities in the Constitution State that offer young families the best combination of solid schools, great neighbors and affordability,” according to NerdWallet.
To view the complete study, go to www.nerdwallet.com/blog/cities/best-cities-young-families-connecticut-2015
About NerdWallet
NerdWallet is a website that focuses on consumer money issues, such as credit card rates, mortgage rates, investing, college comparisons, and hospital rankings.
It is constantly producing and publicizing comparison lists of cities, towns and states in various categories, partly as a way to get people to visit its website.