What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orange has the most affordable homes ($303k median).

Brookline has the most expensive homes ($544k 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	Brookline
People
Population	320Lowest	5,736Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+13% NH: +4.6%
Median age	41.3±9.1Highest 5% below NH	41.2±1.5Lowest 5% below NH
	Orange and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±5.6Lowest NH: 18.2%	26.7%±4Highest NH: 18.2%
	Brookline and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20%±5Highest NH: 20.1%	11.4%±2.1Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%	57.7%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±3.7Lowest NH: 6%	6.3%±3.2Highest NH: 6%
	Brookline and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$118,750±$39kLowest 20% above NH	$171,046±$4kHighest 73% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$302,600±$35kLowest 25% below NH	$544,400±$38kHighest 35% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$2,500±$1k 68% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,132Lowest 23% below NH	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%	23.8%±43.5Highest NH: 48.2%
	Brookline and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.4%Highest NH: 7.2%	0.6%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	95.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Lowest 7 yrs newer than NH	1993Highest 14 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 5% above NH	33 minHighest 25% above NH
Work from home	20.8%±8.9Lowest NH: 16.8%	24.7%±5.8Highest NH: 16.8%
	Brookline 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	—	#23 of 120 in NH
School district	—	Brookline School District
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH 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.