What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orange has the most people working from home (8.1%).

Charlotte has the most kids (21.1% under 18).

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	Charlotte
People
Population	1,196Lowest	1,501Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-12.5%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-11.7%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	46.6±6.3Highest 17% above NY	45.8±4.3Lowest 15% above NY
	Orange and Charlotte are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±4Lowest NY: 20.5%	21.1%±3.4Highest NY: 20.5%
	Charlotte and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±4.1Lowest NY: 17.9%	25.8%±5Highest NY: 17.9%
	Charlotte and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.8%Highest NY: 40.2%	15.2%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±1.7Lowest NY: 7%	1.5%±0.8Highest NY: 7%
	Charlotte and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,000±$9kLowest 30% below NY	$61,082±$4kHighest 29% below NY
	Charlotte and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$119,200±$17kHighest 72% below NY	$107,500±$10kLowest 75% below NY
	Orange and Charlotte are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$932±$81Highest 43% below NY	$648±$208Lowest 60% below NY
	Orange and Charlotte are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,667Lowest 59% below NY	$3,049Highest 54% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.1%±42.6Highest NY: 52.1%	38.6%±25.6Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Orange and Charlotte are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.7%Highest NY: 14%	11.7%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.9%Highest NY: 54.3%	80.7%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 20 yrs newer than NY	1966Lowest 7 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 8% below NY	30 minHighest 8% below NY
Work from home	8.1%±4.3Highest NY: 14.9%	1.9%±1.5Lowest NY: 14.9%
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

NY 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.