What stands out worked out from the figures below

Union has the most kids (16.9% 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	Union	Columbia
People
Population	944Lowest	5,300Highest
Median age	49.9±4.3Lowest 21% above CT	51.3±10.3Highest 25% above CT
	Columbia and Union are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±4.3Highest CT: 20.2%	13.7%±4.3Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Union and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.5%±2.6Lowest CT: 18.5%	24.9%±5.4Highest CT: 18.5%
	Columbia and Union are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24%Lowest CT: 42.5%	34.6%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±3.3Highest CT: 7.1%	4.8%±2.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Union and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,958±$14kLowest 7% below CT	$127,000±$30kHighest 33% above CT
	Columbia and Union are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$330,400±$26kLowest 10% below CT	$361,500±$16kHighest about the CT average
	Columbia and Union are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$966±$304 35% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,793Lowest 28% below CT	$5,228Highest 21% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	90%±64.7Highest CT: 52.6%	17.6%±16.2Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Union and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Lowest CT: 10%	6.1%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.9%Highest CT: 66.5%	83.3%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 9 yrs newer than CT	1984Highest 17 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 20% above CT	32 minHighest 21% above CT
Work from home	9%±3.7Lowest CT: 16%	21.6%±6Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#114 of 149 in CT
School district	Union 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.