What stands out worked out from the figures below

Colrain has the most homeowners (86.5%).

Adams has the shortest commute (24 min average).

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	Colrain	Adams
People
Population	1,627Lowest	8,074Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%	-3.8%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.6±8.7Highest 24% above MA	47.3±3.3Lowest 18% above MA
	Colrain and Adams are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.3%±4.2Lowest MA: 19.4%	15.7%±3.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Adams and Colrain are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.4%±4.1Highest MA: 17.9%	25.2%±3.4Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Colrain and Adams are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.3%Highest MA: 47.3%	24.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.5%±1.9Highest MA: 7.9%
	Adams and Colrain are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,673±$10kHighest 22% below MA	$58,929±$6kLowest 43% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$284,300±$14kHighest 49% below MA	$209,900±$15kLowest 63% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,102±$77Highest 37% below MA	$963±$74Lowest 45% below MA
	Colrain and Adams are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,317Highest 28% below MA	$3,638Lowest 39% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46%±22.8Lowest MA: 51.8%	62.1%±10.3Highest MA: 51.8%
	Adams and Colrain are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.2%Lowest MA: 10%	13.2%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Highest MA: 62.5%	62.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Highest 1 yr older than MA	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 15% above MA	24 minLowest 19% below MA
Work from home	8.4%±2.3Highest MA: 18.6%	8.3%±2.8Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Colrain and Adams 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	—	#230 of 282 in MA
School district	Mohawk Trail	Hoosac Valley Regional
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.