What stands out worked out from the figures below

Grafton has the most renters (16.9% rent).

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	Grafton	Orange
People
Population	1,354Highest	320Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.4% NH: +4.6%	—
Median age	43.1±10.6Highest about the NH average	41.3±9.1Lowest 5% below NH
	Grafton and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±4.9Highest NH: 18.2%	20.6%±5.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Grafton and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21%±2.8Highest NH: 20.1%	20%±5Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Grafton and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%	37.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±2.8Lowest NH: 6%	4.7%±3.7Highest NH: 6%
	Orange and Grafton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,563±$22kLowest 18% below NH	$118,750±$39kHighest 20% above NH
	Orange and Grafton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$267,300±$23kLowest 34% below NH	$302,600±$35kHighest 25% below NH
	Orange and Grafton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,243±$163 17% below NH	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,239Highest 21% below NH	$5,132Lowest 23% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.1%±34.1Highest NH: 48.2%	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Grafton and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%	9.4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.1%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	43 minHighest 62% above NH	28 minLowest 5% above NH
Work from home	19.9%±6.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	20.8%±8.9Highest NH: 16.8%
	Orange and Grafton 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.