What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orange has the most affordable homes ($119k median).

Seneca has grown the fastest since 2010 (-2.8%).

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	Seneca
People
Population	1,196Lowest	2,622Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-12.5%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-2.8%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	46.6±6.3Highest 17% above NY	44.5±6.2Lowest 12% above NY
	Orange and Seneca 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%	19.5%±3.9Highest NY: 20.5%
	Seneca and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±4.1Highest NY: 17.9%	22.3%±4.5Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Orange and Seneca are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.8%Lowest NY: 40.2%	22.1%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±1.7Lowest NY: 7%	2.2%±1.4Highest NY: 7%
	Seneca 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	$90,658±$21kHighest 5% above NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$119,200±$17kLowest 72% below NY	$192,700±$9kHighest 55% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$932±$81Lowest 43% below NY	$1,549±$420Highest 4% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,667Lowest 59% below NY	$2,810Highest 57% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.1%±42.6Highest NY: 52.1%	7.2%±24.9Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Orange and Seneca 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%	6.2%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.9%Lowest NY: 54.3%	91.6%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 20 yrs newer than NY	1945Lowest 14 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 8% below NY	27 minLowest 17% below NY
Work from home	8.1%±4.3Lowest NY: 14.9%	10.9%±3.6Highest NY: 14.9%
	Seneca and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.