Compare towns
Orange vs Dorchester vs Roxbury
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against New Hampshire.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Orange has the most people working from home (20.8%).
Dorchester has the most affordable homes ($140k median).
Roxbury has the shortest commute (21 min average).
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 | Dorchester | Roxbury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 320 |
410Highest |
299Lowest |
| Median age | 41.3±9.1Lowest 5% below NH |
56±10.5Highest 29% above NH |
43.2±17.7 about the NH average |
| Dorchester and Roxbury 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% |
14.7%±11.5 NH: 18.2% |
| Orange and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 20%±5 NH: 20.1% |
39.8%±15.5Highest NH: 20.1% |
17.4%±10.8Lowest 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% NH: 40.6% |
30.6%Lowest NH: 40.6% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.7%±3.7 NH: 6% |
0.5%±3.1Lowest NH: 6% |
13.4%±15.8Highest NH: 6% |
| Roxbury 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±$39kHighest 20% above NH |
— | $69,226±$14kLowest 30% below NH |
| Orange and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $302,600±$35k 25% below NH |
$139,600±$133kLowest 65% below NH |
$323,100±$219kHighest 20% below NH |
| Roxbury and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,132 23% below NH |
$3,779Lowest 43% below NH |
$5,787Highest 13% below NH |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 0%±100 NH: 48.2% |
0%±100 NH: 48.2% |
0%±100 NH: 48.2% |
| Below poverty line | 9.4% NH: 7.2% |
18.6%Highest NH: 7.2% |
3.7%Lowest NH: 7.2% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 97.5%Highest NH: 72.8% |
96.3% NH: 72.8% |
95.5%Lowest NH: 72.8% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH |
1973 6 yrs older than NH |
1969Lowest 10 yrs older than NH |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 28 min 5% above NH |
40 minHighest 50% above NH |
21 minLowest 22% below NH |
| Work from home | 20.8%±8.9Highest NH: 16.8% |
12.2%±8.8 NH: 16.8% |
0.7%±1.4Lowest 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 | 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.