What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orange has the most people working from home (20.8%).

Ryegate has the most affordable homes ($219k 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	Ryegate
People
Population	320Lowest	1,059Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-0.8% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±9.1Highest 6% above U.S.	41.2±2.6Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Orange and Ryegate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.2%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Ryegate and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20%±5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.1%±1.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Ryegate 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 U.S.: 35.7%	29.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±3.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.4%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Orange and Ryegate 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 47% above U.S.	$66,484±$15kLowest 18% below U.S.
	Orange and Ryegate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$302,600±$35kHighest 9% below U.S.	$219,300±$32kLowest 34% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$908±$236 36% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,132Highest 65% above U.S.	$3,472Lowest 11% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±29.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ryegate and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	14.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	84.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.	1949Lowest 31 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 6% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	20.8%±8.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.2%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
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.