What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stafford has the most kids (21.5% 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	Stafford	Columbia
People
Population	11,511Highest	5,300Lowest
Median age	46.7±4.8Lowest 14% above CT	51.3±10.3Highest 25% above CT
	Columbia and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.5%±3.1Highest CT: 20.2%	13.7%±4.3Lowest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	22%±3Lowest CT: 18.5%	24.9%±5.4Highest CT: 18.5%
	Columbia and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%	34.6%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.3Lowest CT: 7.1%	4.8%±2.5Highest CT: 7.1%
	Columbia and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,235±$16kLowest about the CT average	$127,000±$30kHighest 33% above CT
	Columbia and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,800±$22kLowest 28% below CT	$361,500±$16kHighest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$85Highest 27% below CT	$966±$304Lowest 35% below CT
	Stafford and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,131Lowest 23% below CT	$5,228Highest 21% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.5%±12.2Highest CT: 52.6%	17.6%±16.2Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Stafford and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Highest CT: 10%	6.1%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%	83.3%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 3 yrs newer than CT	1984Highest 17 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the CT average	32 minHighest 21% above CT
Work from home	11%±3.5Lowest CT: 16%	21.6%±6Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#96 of 149 in CT	#114 of 149 in CT
School district	Stafford School District	Columbia School District
High school in town	Stafford High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.