What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brownington has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.5%).

Colrain has the most expensive homes ($284k 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	Brownington	Colrain
People
Population	1,144Lowest	1,627Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-3.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.5±4.5Lowest 4% above U.S.	49.6±8.7Highest 28% above U.S.
	Colrain and Brownington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	26.1%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22%	15.3%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	11.7%±2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	30.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	37.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±2.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.8%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brownington and Colrain are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,556±$17kLowest 6% below U.S.	$80,673±$10kHighest about the U.S. average
	Colrain and Brownington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$193,800±$40kLowest 42% below U.S.	$284,300±$14kHighest 15% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$745±$504Lowest 47% below U.S.	$1,102±$77Highest 22% below U.S.
	Colrain and Brownington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,912Lowest 25% above U.S.	$4,317Highest 38% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	78.5%±29.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46%±22.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brownington and Colrain are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	21.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1963Lowest 17 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 25% above U.S.	34 minHighest 27% above U.S.
Work from home	6%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	8.4%±2.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Colrain and Brownington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Lake Region Union Elementary Middle School District	Mohawk Trail
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.