What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stepney has the most kids (21.1% 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	Stepney
People
Population	5,300Highest	3,979Lowest
Median age	51.3±10.3Highest 25% above CT	47.1±5.6Lowest 15% above CT
	Columbia and Stepney 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%	21.1%±5.6Highest CT: 20.2%
	Stepney 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%	17.7%±4.1Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Columbia and Stepney 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%	54.2%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.5Lowest CT: 7.1%	10.1%±5.4Highest CT: 7.1%
	Stepney 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	$153,966±$16kHighest 61% above CT
	Stepney 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	$475,800±$53kHighest 30% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$966±$304Lowest 35% below CT	$2,750±$1kHighest 85% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,228Lowest 21% below CT	$9,309Highest 40% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	17.6%±16.2Lowest CT: 52.6%	63.2%±48.8Highest CT: 52.6%
	Stepney 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%	0.8%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.3%Lowest CT: 66.5%	96.4%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 17 yrs newer than CT	1982Lowest 15 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 21% above CT	37 minHighest 41% above CT
Work from home	21.6%±6Highest CT: 16%	9.8%±4.3Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#114 of 149 in CT	—
School district	Columbia School District	—
High school 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.