What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ripton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+25.7%).

Columbia has the most affordable homes ($196k 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	Ripton	Columbia
People
Population	508Lowest	683Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+25.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-12.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	47.7±14.2Lowest 23% above U.S.	51.8±10.1Highest 33% above U.S.
	Columbia and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.8%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.4%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Columbia and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.5%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	29.9%±8.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Ripton and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	14.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	20.1%±6.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	7%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$112,917±$15kHighest 40% above U.S.	$57,917±$13kLowest 28% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$394,400±$61kHighest 19% above U.S.	$196,400±$29kLowest 41% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$792±$333 44% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,915Highest 58% above U.S.	$2,009Lowest 36% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.9%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%	9.1%±95.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ripton and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	10.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	91.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 9% below U.S.	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.
Work from home	17.2%±8.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.2%±6.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Ripton and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Addison Central Unified Union School District #55	—
High school in town	None in town	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.