What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chatham has the most expensive homes ($363k median).

Orange has the most people working from home (20.8%).

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	Chatham	Orange
People
Population	430Highest	320Lowest
Median age	48.3±8.6Highest 12% above NH	41.3±9.1Lowest 5% below NH
	Chatham and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±7.4Highest NH: 18.2%	20.6%±5.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Chatham and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.5%±10Highest NH: 20.1%	20%±5Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Chatham and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38.4%Highest NH: 40.6%	37.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±3.8Highest NH: 6%	4.7%±3.7Lowest NH: 6%
	Chatham and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,042±$19kLowest 33% below NH	$118,750±$39kHighest 20% above NH
	Orange and Chatham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$362,900±$42kHighest 10% below NH	$302,600±$35kLowest 25% below NH
	Chatham and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,690Lowest 45% below NH	$5,132Highest 23% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Highest NH: 48.2%	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Chatham and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%	9.4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.8%Lowest NH: 72.8%	97.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest same as NH	1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 33% above NH	28 minLowest 5% above NH
Work from home	7.3%±5.4Lowest NH: 16.8%	20.8%±8.9Highest NH: 16.8%
	Orange and Chatham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
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NH 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.