What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orange has the most people working from home (15.6%).

Ledyard has the most affordable homes ($326k 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	Orange	Ledyard
People
Population	14,315Lowest	15,433Highest
Median age	45.6±2.4Highest 11% above CT	37.1±1.4Lowest 10% below CT
Kids under 18	22.9%±2.5Lowest CT: 20.2%	27.5%±3.7Highest CT: 20.2%
	Ledyard and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23%±2.7Highest CT: 18.5%	17.4%±2.9Lowest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	59.4%Highest CT: 42.5%	40.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±2Highest CT: 7.1%	5.1%±1.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Orange and Ledyard 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	$107,975±$10kLowest 13% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$491,500±$17kHighest 34% above CT	$326,200±$27kLowest 11% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,172±$161Highest 46% above CT	$1,629±$247Lowest 9% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,988Highest 35% above CT	$6,371Lowest 4% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64%±12.1Highest CT: 52.6%	54%±27Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Orange and Ledyard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.9%Lowest CT: 10%	5.7%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.2%Highest CT: 66.5%	82.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest 3 yrs older than CT	1972Highest 5 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 4% above CT	22 minLowest 17% below CT
Work from home	15.6%±2.9Highest CT: 16%	9.2%±2.8Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#38 of 149 in CT	#99 of 149 in CT
School district	Orange School District · Regional School District 05	Ledyard School District
High school in town	None in town	Ledyard High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.5
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.