What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wakefield has the oldest population (median age 49.4).

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	Wakefield
People
Population	320Lowest	5,405Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.4% NH: +4.6%
Median age	41.3±9.1Lowest 5% below NH	49.4±4.1Highest 14% above NH
	Wakefield 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%	18.7%±3.9Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Orange and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20%±5Highest NH: 20.1%	18.8%±4.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Orange and Wakefield 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%	26.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±3.7Highest NH: 6%	1.4%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Orange and Wakefield 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	$100,976±$11kLowest about the NH average
	Orange and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$302,600±$35kLowest 25% below NH	$322,800±$43kHighest 20% below NH
	Wakefield and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,375±$434 8% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,132Highest 23% below NH	$2,954Lowest 56% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100 NH: 48.2%	0%±82.9 NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	9.4%Highest NH: 7.2%	7.2%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	96.8%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH	1980Lowest 1 yr newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 5% above NH	36 minHighest 34% above NH
Work from home	20.8%±8.9Highest NH: 16.8%	15.1%±9.3Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Orange and Wakefield 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	—	#118 of 120 in NH
School district	—	Wakefield 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.