What stands out worked out from the figures below

Colebrook has the oldest population (median age 52.1).

Salem has the most people working from home (18%).

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	Salem
People
Population	1,494Lowest	4,282Highest
Median age	52.1±5Highest 27% above CT	40.9±5.4Lowest about the CT average
Kids under 18	17.9%±3.9Lowest CT: 20.2%	23.2%±5.1Highest CT: 20.2%
	Salem and Colebrook 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%	19.7%±4.7Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Colebrook and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.6%Lowest CT: 42.5%	50.6%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±1.8Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.8%±3.3Highest CT: 7.1%
	Salem and Colebrook 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	$123,245±$8kHighest 29% above CT
	Salem 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	$403,600±$33kHighest 10% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,333±$626Lowest 10% below CT	$1,440±$150Highest 3% below CT
	Salem and Colebrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,211Lowest 7% below CT	$6,668Highest about the CT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.1%±55Highest CT: 52.6%	32.1%±26Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Colebrook and Salem 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%	6.2%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.6%Highest CT: 66.5%	86.6%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 7 yrs older than CT	1988Highest 21 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 29% above CT	32 minLowest 19% above CT
Work from home	7%±3.8Lowest CT: 16%	18%±9.6Highest CT: 16%
	Salem and Colebrook 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	—	#11 of 149 in CT
School district	Colebrook School District	Salem 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.