Compare towns
Orange vs Stow vs Roxbury
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Orange has the highest household income ($119k).
Stow has the oldest population (median age 57).
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 | Stow | Roxbury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 320 |
535Highest |
299Lowest |
| Median age | 41.3±9.1Lowest 6% above U.S. |
57±10.5Highest 47% above U.S. |
43.2±17.7 11% above U.S. |
| Stow 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 U.S.: 22% |
15.7%±5.7 U.S.: 22% |
14.7%±11.5Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Orange and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 20%±5 U.S.: 17.2% |
37.9%±17.8Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
17.4%±10.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Stow 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% |
33.4% U.S.: 35.7% |
30.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.7%±3.7 U.S.: 6.4% |
3%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
13.4%±15.8Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| 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 47% above U.S. |
$42,204±$22kLowest 48% below U.S. |
$69,226±$14k 14% below U.S. |
| 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±$35kLowest 9% below U.S. |
$326,400±$42kHighest about the U.S. average |
$323,100±$219k about the U.S. average |
| Stow and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,132 65% above U.S. |
$3,304Lowest 6% above U.S. |
$5,787Highest 86% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
20%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Stow 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 U.S.: 12.5% |
8.1% U.S.: 12.5% |
3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 97.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
96.2% U.S.: 65.2% |
95.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1986 6 yrs newer than U.S. |
1998Highest 18 yrs newer than U.S. |
1969Lowest 11 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 28 min 6% above U.S. |
51 minHighest 95% above U.S. |
21 minLowest 21% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 20.8%±8.9Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
17.7%±12 U.S.: 15.1% |
0.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Orange and Stow 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 |
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.