What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wolcott has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.4%).

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	Wolcott
People
Population	1,627Highest	1,507Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.6±8.7Highest 28% above U.S.	42.4±5.9Lowest 9% above U.S.
	Colrain and Wolcott 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%	22.8%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wolcott 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%	11.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	31.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wolcott 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	$70,259±$10kLowest 13% below U.S.
	Colrain and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$284,300±$14kHighest 15% below U.S.	$221,300±$23kLowest 33% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,102±$77Highest 22% below U.S.	$1,059±$118Lowest 25% below U.S.
	Colrain and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,317Highest 38% above U.S.	$3,930Lowest 26% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46%±22.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	75.7%±21.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wolcott 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 U.S.: 12.5%	9.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	79.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 17 yrs older than U.S.	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 27% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	8.4%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13.9%±4.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Wolcott and Colrain are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Mohawk Trail	Wolcott 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.