What stands out worked out from the figures below

Franklin has the most kids (27.2% under 18).

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

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	Franklin	Columbia
People
Population	2,004Lowest	5,300Highest
Median age	40.3±4.3Lowest about the CT average	51.3±10.3Highest 25% above CT
	Columbia and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	27.2%±5.9Highest CT: 20.2%	13.7%±4.3Lowest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	17.4%±1.9Lowest CT: 18.5%	24.9%±5.4Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.8%Lowest CT: 42.5%	34.6%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.8%±2.5Highest CT: 7.1%
	Columbia and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$105,000±$10kLowest 10% above CT	$127,000±$30kHighest 33% above CT
	Columbia and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$326,200±$20kLowest 11% below CT	$361,500±$16kHighest about the CT average
	Columbia and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$767±$529Lowest 48% below CT	$966±$304Highest 35% below CT
	Columbia and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,934Lowest 41% below CT	$5,228Highest 21% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	19.5%±18.4Highest CT: 52.6%	17.6%±16.2Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Franklin and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.7%Highest CT: 10%	6.1%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.1%Highest CT: 66.5%	83.3%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 6 yrs newer than CT	1984Highest 17 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the CT average	32 minHighest 21% above CT
Work from home	6.8%±2.4Lowest CT: 16%	21.6%±6Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#114 of 149 in CT
School district	Franklin 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.