What stands out worked out from the figures below

Colrain has the most affordable homes ($284k median).

Otis has the most people working from home (22.3%).

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	Otis
People
Population	1,627Highest	1,624Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+1.4%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.6±8.7Lowest 24% above MA	51±3.2Highest 28% above MA
	Otis and Colrain are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.3%±4.2Highest MA: 19.4%	15.1%±4.8Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Colrain and Otis 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%	28%±3.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Colrain and Otis 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 MA: 47.3%	39.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	2.9%±2.1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Otis 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±$10kLowest 22% below MA	$108,898±$6kHighest 5% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$284,300±$14kLowest 49% below MA	$396,700±$40kHighest 29% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,102±$77Lowest 37% below MA	$1,318±$924Highest 25% below MA
	Otis and Colrain 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	$2,408Lowest 60% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46%±22.8Lowest MA: 51.8%	63.3%±100Highest MA: 51.8%
	Otis 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 MA: 10%	1.2%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	89.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 1 yr older than MA	1974Highest 10 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 min 15% above MA	34 min 15% above MA
Work from home	8.4%±2.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	22.3%±7.7Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
School district	Mohawk Trail	Farmington River Reg
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.