What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orange has the most affordable homes ($246k median).

Stow has the most people working from home (36.6%).

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	Stow
People
Population	7,573Highest	7,165Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.9%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.8±2.2Lowest 4% above MA	44.1±4.4Highest 10% above MA
	Stow and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.2%±3.8Lowest MA: 19.4%	22.3%±4.1Highest MA: 19.4%
	Stow and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.3%±3.1Highest MA: 17.9%	19.1%±3.5Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Orange and Stow 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 MA: 47.3%	75.1%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%	3.7%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%
	Stow 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 46% below MA	$185,809±$22kHighest 79% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,900±$18kLowest 56% below MA	$729,600±$39kHighest 30% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$775±$233Lowest 56% below MA	$1,782±$126Highest about the MA average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,136Lowest 31% below MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41%±11.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	59.7%±44.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	Stow and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	22.4%Highest MA: 10%	5.2%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70%Lowest MA: 62.5%	85.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 2 yrs newer than MA	1974Highest 10 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 13% above MA	36 minHighest 23% above MA
Work from home	6.6%±2.8Lowest MA: 18.6%	36.6%±6.2Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#275 of 282 in MA	#44 of 282 in MA
School district	Orange · Ralph C Mahar	Nashoba
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

MA 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.