What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has the most kids (20.1% 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	Windham	Columbia
People
Population	23,961Highest	5,300Lowest
Median age	33.7±1.9Lowest 18% below CT	51.3±10.3Highest 25% above CT
Kids under 18	20.1%±2.4Highest CT: 20.2%	13.7%±4.3Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Windham and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.3%±1.9Lowest CT: 18.5%	24.9%±5.4Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.7%Lowest CT: 42.5%	34.6%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15.2%±1.8Highest CT: 7.1%	4.8%±2.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,736±$5kLowest 42% below CT	$127,000±$30kHighest 33% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$209,800±$9kLowest 43% below CT	$361,500±$16kHighest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,107±$69Highest 26% below CT	$966±$304Lowest 35% below CT
	Windham and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,633Lowest 30% below CT	$5,228Highest 21% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.1%±8.1Highest CT: 52.6%	17.6%±16.2Lowest CT: 52.6%
Below poverty line	20.7%Highest CT: 10%	6.1%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	47.4%Lowest CT: 66.5%	83.3%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Lowest 11 yrs older than CT	1984Highest 17 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below CT	32 minHighest 21% above CT
Work from home	6.1%±1.7Lowest CT: 16%	21.6%±6Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#143 of 149 in CT	#114 of 149 in CT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Eastern Connecticut Regional Educational Service Center (EAS	Columbia School District
High school in town	Windham High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8	—
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.