What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Marshfield has the most people working from home (24.5%).

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	Marshfield
People
Population	1,627Lowest	1,863Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.6±8.7Highest 28% above U.S.	38.7±6.1Lowest about the U.S. average
	Colrain and Marshfield 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%	24.2%±2.9Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	30.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.8%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	38.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Colrain and Marshfield 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	$60,313±$10kLowest 25% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$284,300±$14kHighest 15% below U.S.	$214,100±$37kLowest 36% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,102±$77Lowest 22% below U.S.	$1,317±$126Highest 7% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,317Highest 38% above U.S.	$3,668Lowest 18% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46%±22.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	65.7%±73.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Marshfield 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 U.S.: 12.5%	9.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	84.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 17 yrs older than U.S.	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 27% above U.S.	29 minLowest 9% above U.S.
Work from home	8.4%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.5%±7.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	Mohawk Trail	—
High school in town	None in town	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.