What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boylston has the most people working from home (14%).

Orwell has the most kids (22.1% under 18).

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	Boylston	Orwell
People
Population	545Lowest	914Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9.3%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-7.7%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	51.2±8.8Highest 29% above NY	45.9±3Lowest 15% above NY
	Boylston and Orwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.3%±5.4Lowest NY: 20.5%	22.1%±3.4Highest NY: 20.5%
	Orwell and Boylston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18%±5.9Lowest NY: 17.9%	19.9%±4.1Highest NY: 17.9%
	Orwell and Boylston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.3%Highest NY: 40.2%	13.6%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.7%±1.2Lowest NY: 7%	1.9%±1.2Highest NY: 7%
	Orwell and Boylston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,000±$16kHighest 13% below NY	$69,375±$9kLowest 19% below NY
	Boylston and Orwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$140,300±$51kHighest 67% below NY	$112,500±$13kLowest 73% below NY
	Boylston and Orwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$950±$196Highest 41% below NY	$836±$101Lowest 48% below NY
	Boylston and Orwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,500Highest 62% below NY	$2,324Lowest 65% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72%±77.4Highest NY: 52.1%	47.4%±79.3Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Boylston and Orwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.1%Lowest NY: 14%	16.7%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.1%Lowest NY: 54.3%	94.3%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 27 yrs newer than NY	1979Lowest 20 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest about the NY average	33 minHighest about the NY average
Work from home	14%±6Highest NY: 14.9%	10.6%±6.7Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Boylston and Orwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

NY 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.