What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cornwall has the most expensive homes ($555k median).

Columbia has the most affordable homes ($362k 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	Cornwall	Columbia
People
Population	1,425Lowest	5,300Highest
Median age	53.9±5.1Highest 31% above CT	51.3±10.3Lowest 25% above CT
	Cornwall and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.9%±2.8Highest CT: 20.2%	13.7%±4.3Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Cornwall and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.4%±2.5Highest CT: 18.5%	24.9%±5.4Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Cornwall and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	59.1%Highest CT: 42.5%	34.6%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3Highest CT: 7.1%	4.8%±2.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Cornwall and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$128,864±$34kHighest 35% above CT	$127,000±$30kLowest 33% above CT
	Cornwall and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$554,600±$106kHighest 51% above CT	$361,500±$16kLowest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,047±$121Highest 30% below CT	$966±$304Lowest 35% below CT
	Cornwall and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,792Highest 13% below CT	$5,228Lowest 21% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.8%±31.9Highest CT: 52.6%	17.6%±16.2Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Cornwall and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Highest CT: 10%	6.1%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.3%Highest CT: 66.5%	83.3%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 8 yrs older than CT	1984Highest 17 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 13% above CT	32 minHighest 21% above CT
Work from home	32.4%±13.6Highest CT: 16%	21.6%±6Lowest CT: 16%
	Cornwall and Columbia 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	Cornwall School District	Columbia 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.