What stands out worked out from the figures below

Middlefield has the most affordable homes ($376k median).

Orange has the most kids (22.9% 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	Middlefield	Orange
People
Population	4,243Lowest	14,315Highest
Median age	51.6±1.9Highest 26% above CT	45.6±2.4Lowest 11% above CT
Kids under 18	13.9%±4.1Lowest CT: 20.2%	22.9%±2.5Highest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	25.5%±7.2Highest CT: 18.5%	23%±2.7Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Middlefield and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%	59.4%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.7%±2.4Highest CT: 7.1%	5.5%±2Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Middlefield and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$99,837±$20kLowest 4% above CT	$142,325±$10kHighest 49% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$376,000±$27kLowest about the CT average	$491,500±$17kHighest 34% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$3,501Highest 135% above CT	$2,172±$161Lowest 46% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,853Lowest 3% above CT	$8,988Highest 35% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	85.4%±52.1Highest CT: 52.6%	64%±12.1Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Middlefield and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.1%Highest CT: 10%	3.9%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%	89.2%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 6 yrs older than CT	1964Highest 3 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below CT	28 minHighest 4% above CT
Work from home	10.9%±4.1Lowest CT: 16%	15.6%±2.9Highest CT: 16%
	Orange and Middlefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#65 of 149 in CT	#38 of 149 in CT
School district	Regional School District 13	Orange School District · Regional School District 05
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

CT 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.