What stands out worked out from the figures below

Columbia has the most kids (13.7% under 18).

Sharon has the most expensive homes ($591k 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	Columbia	Sharon
People
Population	5,300Highest	2,723Lowest
Median age	51.3±10.3Lowest 25% above CT	59.5±6Highest 45% above CT
	Sharon and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.7%±4.3Highest CT: 20.2%	7.2%±3.2Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Columbia and Sharon 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%	37.9%±9.3Highest CT: 18.5%
	Sharon 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%	56.8%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.5Highest CT: 7.1%	3.5%±2.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Columbia and Sharon 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	$100,518±$15kLowest 5% above CT
	Columbia and Sharon 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	$590,700±$156kHighest 61% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$966±$304Lowest 35% below CT	$1,750±$1kHighest 18% above CT
	Sharon and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,228Highest 21% below CT	$4,484Lowest 33% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	17.6%±16.2Lowest CT: 52.6%	64%±16.2Highest CT: 52.6%
Below poverty line	6.1%Lowest CT: 10%	10.8%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.3%Highest CT: 66.5%	72.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 17 yrs newer than CT	1954Lowest 13 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 21% above CT	30 minLowest 13% above CT
Work from home	21.6%±6Highest CT: 16%	18.7%±6.8Lowest CT: 16%
	Columbia and Sharon 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	Sharon School District
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.