What stands out worked out from the figures below

Columbia has the highest household income ($127k).

Windsor Locks has the most kids (18.6% 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	Windsor Locks
People
Population	5,300Lowest	12,579Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+0.9% CT: +0.9%
Median age	51.3±10.3Highest 25% above CT	41.4±2.6Lowest about the CT average
	Columbia and Windsor Locks 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%	18.6%±3.4Highest CT: 20.2%
	Windsor Locks 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%	18.2%±2.7Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Columbia and Windsor Locks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.6%Highest CT: 42.5%	28.6%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.5Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.9%±1.8Highest CT: 7.1%
	Windsor Locks 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	$81,205±$13kLowest 15% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$361,500±$16kHighest about the CT average	$258,800±$14kLowest 29% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$966±$304Lowest 35% below CT	$1,394±$187Highest 6% below CT
	Windsor Locks 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	$3,688Lowest 44% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	17.6%±16.2Lowest CT: 52.6%	58.2%±16.8Highest CT: 52.6%
Below poverty line	6.1%Lowest CT: 10%	10.9%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.3%Highest CT: 66.5%	77.1%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 17 yrs newer than CT	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 21% above CT	22 minLowest 17% below CT
Work from home	21.6%±6Highest CT: 16%	17.7%±3.7Lowest CT: 16%
	Columbia and Windsor Locks 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	#109 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.