What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dorchester has the most affordable homes ($140k median).

Orange has the most expensive homes ($303k median).

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	Dorchester	Orange
People
Population	410Highest	320Lowest
Median age	56±10.5Highest 29% above NH	41.3±9.1Lowest 5% below NH
	Dorchester and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.2%±4.4Lowest NH: 18.2%	20.6%±5.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Orange and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	39.8%±15.5Highest NH: 20.1%	20%±5Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Dorchester and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.8%Lowest NH: 40.6%	37.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.5%±3.1Lowest NH: 6%	4.7%±3.7Highest NH: 6%
	Orange and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	—	$118,750±$39k 20% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$139,600±$133kLowest 65% below NH	$302,600±$35kHighest 25% below NH
	Orange and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,779Lowest 43% below NH	$5,132Highest 23% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100 NH: 48.2%	0%±100 NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	18.6%Highest NH: 7.2%	9.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%	97.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 6 yrs older than NH	1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	40 minHighest 50% above NH	28 minLowest 5% above NH
Work from home	12.2%±8.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	20.8%±8.9Highest NH: 16.8%
	Orange and Dorchester 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.