What stands out worked out from the figures below

Columbia has the most affordable homes ($196k median).

Orange has the highest household income ($119k).

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	Columbia	Orange
People
Population	683Highest	320Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-12.9% NH: +4.6%	—
Median age	51.8±10.1Highest 20% above NH	41.3±9.1Lowest 5% below NH
	Columbia and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.4%±5.2Lowest NH: 18.2%	20.6%±5.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Orange and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.9%±8.3Highest NH: 20.1%	20%±5Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Columbia and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%	37.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7%±3.7Highest NH: 6%	4.7%±3.7Lowest NH: 6%
	Columbia and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,917±$13kLowest 42% below NH	$118,750±$39kHighest 20% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$196,400±$29kLowest 51% below NH	$302,600±$35kHighest 25% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$792±$333 47% below NH	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,009Lowest 70% below NH	$5,132Highest 23% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	9.1%±95.8Highest NH: 48.2%	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Columbia and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.7%Highest NH: 7.2%	9.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	97.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Lowest 4 yrs newer than NH	1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 24% below NH	28 minHighest 5% above NH
Work from home	11.2%±6.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	20.8%±8.9Highest NH: 16.8%
	Orange and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

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.