What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Dorchester has the most affordable homes ($140k 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	Dorchester
People
Population	320Lowest	410Highest
Median age	41.3±9.1Lowest 5% below NH	56±10.5Highest 29% above NH
	Dorchester and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±5.6Highest NH: 18.2%	11.2%±4.4Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Orange and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20%±5Lowest NH: 20.1%	39.8%±15.5Highest NH: 20.1%
	Dorchester and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.2%Highest NH: 40.6%	35.8%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±3.7Highest NH: 6%	0.5%±3.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Orange and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$118,750±$39k 20% above NH	—
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$302,600±$35kHighest 25% below NH	$139,600±$133kLowest 65% below NH
	Orange and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,132Highest 23% below NH	$3,779Lowest 43% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100 NH: 48.2%	0%±100 NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	9.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	18.6%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	96.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH	1973Lowest 6 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 5% above NH	40 minHighest 50% above NH
Work from home	20.8%±8.9Highest NH: 16.8%	12.2%±8.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Orange and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.