What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orange has the most kids (22.2% under 18).

Walden has the most people working from home (21.4%).

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	Walden
People
Population	7,573Highest	1,037Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.8±2.2Lowest 7% above U.S.	48.8±3.2Highest 25% above U.S.
Kids under 18	22.2%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%	14.3%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.3%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.4%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Walden and Orange 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%	26.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Walden 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.	$88,000±$15kHighest 9% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,900±$18kHighest 26% below U.S.	$238,900±$23kLowest 28% below U.S.
	Orange and Walden 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.	$900±$136Highest 36% below U.S.
	Walden and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,136Highest 33% above U.S.	$3,944Lowest 26% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41%±11.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	56.3%±86.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Walden 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 U.S.: 12.5%	9.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	93.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	6.6%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.4%±6.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#275 of 282 in MA	—
School district	Orange · Ralph C Mahar	Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78
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

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.