What stands out worked out from the figures below

Roxbury has the most expensive homes ($715k 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	Roxbury	Columbia
People
Population	2,185Lowest	5,300Highest
Median age	54.7±1.8Highest 33% above CT	51.3±10.3Lowest 25% above CT
	Roxbury and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.3%±4Highest CT: 20.2%	13.7%±4.3Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Roxbury and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31%±5.5Highest CT: 18.5%	24.9%±5.4Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Roxbury and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	65.2%Highest CT: 42.5%	34.6%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±3.3Highest CT: 7.1%	4.8%±2.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Roxbury and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$123,864±$27kLowest 29% above CT	$127,000±$30kHighest 33% above CT
	Columbia and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$714,500±$77kHighest 95% above CT	$361,500±$16kLowest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,713±$418Highest 15% above CT	$966±$304Lowest 35% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,591Highest about the CT average	$5,228Lowest 21% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	61.5%±48.3Highest CT: 52.6%	17.6%±16.2Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Roxbury and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest CT: 10%	6.1%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%	83.3%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 14 yrs newer than CT	1984Highest 17 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 38% above CT	32 minLowest 21% above CT
Work from home	17.4%±6.6Lowest CT: 16%	21.6%±6Highest CT: 16%
	Columbia and Roxbury 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	Regional School District 12	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.