What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orange has the most kids (22.9% under 18).

Columbia has the most people working from home (21.6%).

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	Orange	Columbia
People
Population	14,315Highest	5,300Lowest
Median age	45.6±2.4Lowest 11% above CT	51.3±10.3Highest 25% above CT
	Columbia and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.9%±2.5Highest CT: 20.2%	13.7%±4.3Lowest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	23%±2.7Lowest CT: 18.5%	24.9%±5.4Highest CT: 18.5%
	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+	59.4%Highest CT: 42.5%	34.6%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±2Highest CT: 7.1%	4.8%±2.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Orange and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$142,325±$10kHighest 49% above CT	$127,000±$30kLowest 33% above CT
	Orange and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$491,500±$17kHighest 34% above CT	$361,500±$16kLowest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,172±$161Highest 46% above CT	$966±$304Lowest 35% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,988Highest 35% above CT	$5,228Lowest 21% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64%±12.1Highest CT: 52.6%	17.6%±16.2Lowest CT: 52.6%
Below poverty line	3.9%Lowest CT: 10%	6.1%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.2%Highest CT: 66.5%	83.3%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest 3 yrs older than CT	1984Highest 17 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 4% above CT	32 minHighest 21% above CT
Work from home	15.6%±2.9Lowest CT: 16%	21.6%±6Highest CT: 16%
	Columbia and Orange 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	#38 of 149 in CT	#114 of 149 in CT
School district	Orange School District · Regional School District 05	Columbia School District
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.