What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Salisbury has the most people working from home (23.3%).

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	Salisbury
People
Population	1,627Highest	1,609Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.6±8.7Lowest 28% above U.S.	51.5±4.5Highest 32% above U.S.
	Salisbury and Colrain are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.3%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.1%±9.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Salisbury 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 U.S.: 17.2%	24.9%±4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Colrain and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.3% U.S.: 35.7%	37.3% U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Colrain and Salisbury 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 about the U.S. average	$111,591±$17kHighest 38% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$284,300±$14kLowest 15% below U.S.	$363,400±$47kHighest 9% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,102±$77Lowest 22% below U.S.	$1,917±$632Highest 36% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,317Lowest 38% above U.S.	$5,859Highest 88% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46%±22.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Colrain and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	96.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 17 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 27% above U.S.	32 minLowest 21% above U.S.
Work from home	8.4%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	23.3%±10.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	Mohawk Trail	Merrimack Valley School District
High school in town	None 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.