What stands out worked out from the figures below

Colrain has the most kids (15.3% under 18).

Readsboro has the most affordable homes ($216k median).

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	Readsboro
People
Population	1,627Highest	807Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.6±8.7Lowest 28% above U.S.	50.7±3.9Highest 30% above U.S.
	Readsboro 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 U.S.: 22%	6.9%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	30.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.6%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	26.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.3%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Readsboro 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±$10kHighest about the U.S. average	$55,268±$12kLowest 32% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$284,300±$14kHighest 15% below U.S.	$215,500±$52kLowest 35% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,102±$77Highest 22% below U.S.	$724±$32Lowest 49% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,317Highest 38% above U.S.	$3,480Lowest 12% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46%±22.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	17.4%±24.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Colrain and Readsboro 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%	7.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	76.4%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.	32 minLowest 20% above U.S.
Work from home	8.4%±2.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.8%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Colrain and Readsboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Mohawk Trail	Readsboro 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.