What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stafford has the most affordable homes ($264k 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	Stafford
People
Population	14,315Highest	11,511Lowest
Median age	45.6±2.4Lowest 11% above CT	46.7±4.8Highest 14% above CT
	Stafford 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%	21.5%±3.1Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Orange and Stafford 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%	22%±3Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Orange and Stafford 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%	28.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±2Highest CT: 7.1%	3.5%±1.3Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Orange and Stafford 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	$93,235±$16kLowest about the CT average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$491,500±$17kHighest 34% above CT	$263,800±$22kLowest 28% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,172±$161Highest 46% above CT	$1,086±$85Lowest 27% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,988Highest 35% above CT	$5,131Lowest 23% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64%±12.1Highest CT: 52.6%	41.5%±12.2Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Orange and Stafford 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%	7.4%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.2%Highest CT: 66.5%	79.5%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest 3 yrs older than CT	1970Highest 3 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 4% above CT	26 minLowest about the CT average
Work from home	15.6%±2.9Highest CT: 16%	11%±3.5Lowest CT: 16%
	Orange and Stafford 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	#96 of 149 in CT
School district	Orange School District · Regional School District 05	Stafford School District
High school in town	None in town	Stafford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	9.8
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.