Compare towns
Orange vs Guildhall vs Wendell
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Orange has the most renters (30% rent).
Guildhall has the highest household income ($115k).
Wendell has the most people working from home (16.8%).
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.
| Measure | Orange | Guildhall | Wendell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 7,573Highest |
371Lowest |
850 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
— | +9%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 41.8±2.2Lowest 7% above U.S. |
42.6±7.8 10% above U.S. |
47.1±8.8Highest 21% above U.S. |
| Wendell and Guildhall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 22.2%±3.8 U.S.: 22% |
22.6%±7.5Highest U.S.: 22% |
16%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Guildhall and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 20.3%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
26.1%±5.5Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
22.7%±5.7 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Guildhall and Wendell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 15.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
33.9% U.S.: 35.7% |
51.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2%±0.9 U.S.: 6.4% |
1.1%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.1%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Wendell and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $55,824±$10kLowest 31% below U.S. |
$115,000±$46kHighest 42% above U.S. |
$65,288±$14k 19% below U.S. |
| Guildhall and Wendell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $245,900±$18kLowest 26% below U.S. |
$321,200±$62kHighest 3% below U.S. |
$290,300±$31k 13% below U.S. |
| Guildhall and Wendell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $775±$233Lowest 45% below U.S. |
$850±$717 40% below U.S. |
$1,239±$519Highest 12% below U.S. |
| Wendell and Guildhall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,136Lowest 33% above U.S. |
$4,625Highest 48% above U.S. |
$4,519 45% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 41%±11.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
75%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
55.6%±40.8 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Guildhall and Wendell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 22.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
11.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
21.3% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 70%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
93.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
86.7% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1966 14 yrs older than U.S. |
1958Lowest 22 yrs older than U.S. |
1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 33 min 24% above U.S. |
25 minLowest 5% below U.S. |
33 minHighest 25% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 6.6%±2.8 U.S.: 15.1% |
2.3%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
16.8%±7.8Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Wendell 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 | #275 of 282 in MA | — | — |
| School district | Orange · Ralph C Mahar | — | New Salem-Wendell |
| High school in town | Ralph C Mahar Regional | — | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 9.0 |
— | — |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet |
U.S. 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.