What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chaplin has the most affordable homes ($255k median).

Columbia has the most expensive homes ($362k 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	Chaplin	Columbia
People
Population	2,070Lowest	5,300Highest
Median age	43.7±4.8Lowest 6% above CT	51.3±10.3Highest 25% above CT
	Columbia and Chaplin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.7%±4.2Highest CT: 20.2%	13.7%±4.3Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Chaplin and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.9%±4.4Lowest CT: 18.5%	24.9%±5.4Highest CT: 18.5%
	Columbia and Chaplin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.4%Lowest CT: 42.5%	34.6%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.1%±6.2Highest CT: 7.1%	4.8%±2.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Chaplin and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,846±$14kLowest about the CT average	$127,000±$30kHighest 33% above CT
	Columbia and Chaplin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$255,200±$24kLowest 30% below CT	$361,500±$16kHighest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,473±$275Highest about the CT average	$966±$304Lowest 35% below CT
	Chaplin and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,524Lowest 32% below CT	$5,228Highest 21% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.6%±27.7Highest CT: 52.6%	17.6%±16.2Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Chaplin and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.4%Lowest CT: 10%	6.1%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Lowest CT: 66.5%	83.3%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest 12 yrs newer than CT	1984Highest 17 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 22% above CT	32 minLowest 21% above CT
Work from home	18.1%±10Lowest CT: 16%	21.6%±6Highest CT: 16%
	Columbia and Chaplin 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	—	#114 of 149 in CT
School district	Chaplin School District · Regional School District 11	Columbia School District
High school in town	Parish Hill High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	7.5	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.