What stands out worked out from the figures below

Andover has the shortest commute (25 min average).

Columbia has the most people working from home (21.6%).

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	Andover	Columbia
People
Population	3,152Lowest	5,300Highest
Median age	51.2±5.4Lowest 25% above CT	51.3±10.3Highest 25% above CT
	Columbia and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.2%±4.4Highest CT: 20.2%	13.7%±4.3Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Andover and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.2%±5.1Lowest CT: 18.5%	24.9%±5.4Highest CT: 18.5%
	Columbia and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.5%Highest CT: 42.5%	34.6%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	8.2%±4.1Highest CT: 7.1%	4.8%±2.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Andover and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$134,632±$20kHighest 41% above CT	$127,000±$30kLowest 33% above CT
	Andover and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$376,500±$36kHighest about the CT average	$361,500±$16kLowest about the CT average
	Andover and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,166±$745Highest 22% below CT	$966±$304Lowest 35% below CT
	Andover and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,554Highest about the CT average	$5,228Lowest 21% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.8%±38.4Highest CT: 52.6%	17.6%±16.2Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Andover and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.8%Lowest CT: 10%	6.1%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.1%Highest CT: 66.5%	83.3%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 10 yrs newer than CT	1984Highest 17 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 5% below CT	32 minHighest 21% above CT
Work from home	15.5%±5.4Lowest CT: 16%	21.6%±6Highest CT: 16%
	Columbia and Andover 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	#43 of 149 in CT	#114 of 149 in CT
School district	Andover School District	Columbia School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.