What stands out worked out from the figures below

Columbia has the most people working from home (21.6%).

Andover has the shortest commute (25 min average).

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	Columbia	Andover
People
Population	5,300Highest	3,152Lowest
Median age	51.3±10.3Highest 25% above CT	51.2±5.4Lowest 25% above CT
	Columbia and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.7%±4.3Lowest CT: 20.2%	16.2%±4.4Highest CT: 20.2%
	Andover and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.9%±5.4Highest CT: 18.5%	19.2%±5.1Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Columbia and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.6%Lowest CT: 42.5%	46.5%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.5Lowest CT: 7.1%	8.2%±4.1Highest CT: 7.1%
	Andover and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$127,000±$30kLowest 33% above CT	$134,632±$20kHighest 41% above CT
	Andover and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$361,500±$16kLowest about the CT average	$376,500±$36kHighest about the CT average
	Andover and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$966±$304Lowest 35% below CT	$1,166±$745Highest 22% below CT
	Andover and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,228Lowest 21% below CT	$6,554Highest about the CT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	17.6%±16.2Lowest CT: 52.6%	60.8%±38.4Highest CT: 52.6%
	Andover and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.1%Highest CT: 10%	1.8%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.3%Lowest CT: 66.5%	93.1%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 17 yrs newer than CT	1977Lowest 10 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 21% above CT	25 minLowest 5% below CT
Work from home	21.6%±6Highest CT: 16%	15.5%±5.4Lowest CT: 16%
	Columbia and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#114 of 149 in CT	#43 of 149 in CT
School district	Columbia School District	Andover School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

CT 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.