What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Morris has the most kids (17.9% under 18).

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	Morris
People
Population	5,300Highest	2,164Lowest
Median age	51.3±10.3Lowest 25% above CT	52.8±6.5Highest 28% above CT
	Morris and Columbia 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%	17.9%±4.5Highest CT: 20.2%
	Morris and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.9%±5.4Lowest CT: 18.5%	29.3%±6.6Highest CT: 18.5%
	Morris and Columbia 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%	41.5%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.5Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.2%±3Highest CT: 7.1%
	Morris 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±$30kHighest 33% above CT	$109,191±$25kLowest 14% above CT
	Columbia and Morris 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	$396,000±$60kHighest 8% above CT
	Morris 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	$1,204±$134Highest 19% below CT
	Morris 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	$5,273Highest 21% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	17.6%±16.2Lowest CT: 52.6%	57.1%±31.9Highest CT: 52.6%
	Morris and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.1%Lowest CT: 10%	6.8%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.3%Lowest CT: 66.5%	89.4%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 17 yrs newer than CT	1967Lowest same as CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 21% above CT	29 minLowest 11% above CT
Work from home	21.6%±6Highest CT: 16%	18.4%±5.7Lowest CT: 16%
	Columbia and Morris 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	—
School district	Columbia School District	Regional School District 20
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.