What stands out worked out from the figures below

Colrain has the highest household income ($81k).

Halifax has the most people working from home (29.9%).

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	Halifax
People
Population	1,627Highest	847Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.6±8.7Highest 28% above U.S.	40.6±13.1Lowest 4% above U.S.
	Colrain and Halifax are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.3%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	25.4%±5.3Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	30.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	22.6%±7.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Colrain and Halifax are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	44.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.2%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Colrain and Halifax 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 about the U.S. average	$63,889±$7kLowest 21% below U.S.
	Colrain and Halifax are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$284,300±$14kHighest 15% below U.S.	$267,500±$21kLowest 20% below U.S.
	Colrain and Halifax are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,102±$77Highest 22% below U.S.	$875±$154Lowest 38% below U.S.
	Colrain and Halifax are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,317Lowest 38% above U.S.	$4,991Highest 60% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46%±22.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.1%±73.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Halifax and Colrain are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 17 yrs older than U.S.	1968Highest 12 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 27% above U.S.	33 minLowest 23% above U.S.
Work from home	8.4%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	29.9%±11.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	Mohawk Trail	Halifax School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.