What stands out worked out from the figures below

Canterbury has the most kids (15% under 18).

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	Canterbury	Columbia
People
Population	5,124Lowest	5,300Highest
Median age	48.4±4.5Lowest 18% above CT	51.3±10.3Highest 25% above CT
	Columbia and Canterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15%±3.5Highest CT: 20.2%	13.7%±4.3Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Canterbury and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.5%±4.4Highest CT: 18.5%	24.9%±5.4Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Canterbury and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.2%Lowest CT: 42.5%	34.6%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±2Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.8%±2.5Highest CT: 7.1%
	Columbia and Canterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$103,198±$6kLowest 8% above CT	$127,000±$30kHighest 33% above CT
	Columbia and Canterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$334,200±$12kLowest 9% below CT	$361,500±$16kHighest about the CT average
	Columbia and Canterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$924±$367Lowest 38% below CT	$966±$304Highest 35% below CT
	Columbia and Canterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,140Lowest 38% below CT	$5,228Highest 21% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40%±13Highest CT: 52.6%	17.6%±16.2Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Canterbury and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.9%Lowest CT: 10%	6.1%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.7%Highest CT: 66.5%	83.3%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 8 yrs newer than CT	1984Highest 17 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 20% above CT	32 minHighest 21% above CT
Work from home	14.7%±5.4Lowest CT: 16%	21.6%±6Highest CT: 16%
	Columbia and Canterbury 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	#125 of 149 in CT	#114 of 149 in CT
School district	Canterbury 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.