What stands out worked out from the figures below

Salisbury has the most people working from home (23.3%).

Colrain has the most affordable homes ($284k 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	Salisbury	Colrain
People
Population	1,609Lowest	1,627Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-3.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	51.5±4.5Highest 32% above U.S.	49.6±8.7Lowest 28% above U.S.
	Salisbury and Colrain are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.1%±9.6Highest U.S.: 22%	15.3%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Salisbury and Colrain are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.9%±4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	30.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Colrain and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.3% U.S.: 35.7%	37.3% U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	2.8%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Colrain and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,591±$17kHighest 38% above U.S.	$80,673±$10kLowest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$363,400±$47kHighest 9% above U.S.	$284,300±$14kLowest 15% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,917±$632Highest 36% above U.S.	$1,102±$77Lowest 22% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,859Highest 88% above U.S.	$4,317Lowest 38% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46%±22.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Colrain and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	86.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1963Lowest 17 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 21% above U.S.	34 minHighest 27% above U.S.
Work from home	23.3%±10.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.4%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	Merrimack Valley School District	Mohawk Trail
High school in town	None 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.