What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Plympton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.9%).

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	Plympton
People
Population	1,627Lowest	2,935Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+3.9%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.6±8.7Highest 24% above MA	46.4±4.2Lowest 16% above MA
	Colrain and Plympton 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%	21.6%±5Highest MA: 19.4%
	Plympton 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%	22.7%±5Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Colrain and Plympton 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%	38.4%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	3.2%±1.8Highest MA: 7.9%
	Plympton 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	$126,736±$20kHighest 22% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$284,300±$14kLowest 49% below MA	$517,800±$52kHighest 8% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,102±$77Highest 37% below MA	$555±$148Lowest 69% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,317Lowest 28% below MA	$6,628Highest 11% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46%±22.8Lowest MA: 51.8%	50.8%±40.6Highest MA: 51.8%
	Plympton 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%	10.3%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	93.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 1 yr older than MA	1981Highest 17 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 15% above MA	33 minLowest 13% above MA
Work from home	8.4%±2.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	19.3%±6Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#110 of 282 in MA
School district	Mohawk Trail	Plympton
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.