What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Petersham has the most people working from home (16.2%).

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	Petersham
People
Population	1,627Highest	1,185Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%	-3.2%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.6±8.7Lowest 24% above MA	56.3±2.7Highest 41% above MA
	Petersham 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%	12.7%±2.5Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Colrain and Petersham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.4%±4.1Lowest MA: 17.9%	30.5%±4.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Petersham and Colrain 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%	42.6%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	4%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Petersham 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	$110,750±$20kHighest 7% above MA
	Petersham and Colrain are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$284,300±$14kLowest 49% below MA	$392,400±$20kHighest 30% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,102±$77Lowest 37% below MA	$1,679±$441Highest 5% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,317Lowest 28% below MA	$4,636Highest 23% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46%±22.8Highest MA: 51.8%	20%±100Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Colrain and Petersham 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%	8.8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	94.2%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Highest 1 yr older than MA	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minLowest 15% above MA	39 minHighest 32% above MA
Work from home	8.4%±2.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	16.2%±5.8Highest MA: 18.6%
	Petersham and Colrain are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Mohawk Trail	Petersham
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.