What stands out worked out from the figures below

Colebrook has the most kids (17.9% 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	Colebrook	Columbia
People
Population	1,494Lowest	5,300Highest
Median age	52.1±5Highest 27% above CT	51.3±10.3Lowest 25% above CT
	Colebrook and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.9%±3.9Highest CT: 20.2%	13.7%±4.3Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Colebrook and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26%±4.2Highest CT: 18.5%	24.9%±5.4Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Colebrook and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.6%Highest CT: 42.5%	34.6%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±1.8Highest CT: 7.1%	4.8%±2.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Colebrook and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,250±$17kLowest 16% above CT	$127,000±$30kHighest 33% above CT
	Columbia and Colebrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$342,800±$19kLowest 7% below CT	$361,500±$16kHighest about the CT average
	Columbia and Colebrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,333±$626Highest 10% below CT	$966±$304Lowest 35% below CT
	Colebrook and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,211Highest 7% below CT	$5,228Lowest 21% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.1%±55Highest CT: 52.6%	17.6%±16.2Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Colebrook and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Highest CT: 10%	6.1%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.6%Highest CT: 66.5%	83.3%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 7 yrs older than CT	1984Highest 17 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 29% above CT	32 minLowest 21% above CT
Work from home	7%±3.8Lowest CT: 16%	21.6%±6Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#114 of 149 in CT
School district	Colebrook School District	Columbia School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.