What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orange has the most affordable homes ($492k median).

Ridgefield has the most people working from home (29.7%).

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	Ridgefield
People
Population	14,315Lowest	25,109Highest
Median age	45.6±2.4Highest 11% above CT	45.1±1.4Lowest 10% above CT
	Orange and Ridgefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.9%±2.5Lowest CT: 20.2%	24.8%±2.3Highest CT: 20.2%
	Ridgefield 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%	18.7%±1.9Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Orange and Ridgefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	59.4%Lowest CT: 42.5%	72.6%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±2Highest CT: 7.1%	4.5%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Orange and Ridgefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$142,325±$10kLowest 49% above CT	$179,219±$12kHighest 87% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$491,500±$17kLowest 34% above CT	$836,200±$26kHighest 128% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,172±$161Highest 46% above CT	$2,026±$200Lowest 36% above CT
	Orange and Ridgefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,988Lowest 35% above CT	$10,000+Highest at least 51% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64%±12.1Highest CT: 52.6%	53.3%±12Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Orange and Ridgefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.9%Highest CT: 10%	3.5%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.2%Highest CT: 66.5%	83.5%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 minLowest 4% above CT	33 minHighest 25% above CT
Work from home	15.6%±2.9Lowest CT: 16%	29.7%±3.7Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#38 of 149 in CT	#4 of 149 in CT
School district	Orange School District · Regional School District 05	Ridgefield School District
High school in town	None in town	Ridgefield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.4
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.