What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orange has the most affordable homes ($222k median).

Waterford has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.9%).

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	Waterford
People
Population	957Lowest	1,279Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-0.9%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	50.3±5.3Highest 17% above VT	45.4±5.3Lowest 5% above VT
	Orange and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.6%±4.7Lowest VT: 17.9%	16.7%±2.5Highest VT: 17.9%
	Waterford and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.4%±4Lowest VT: 21.4%	21.4%±3.3Highest VT: 21.4%
	Waterford and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%	41%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.9Highest VT: 7%	2%±1.3Lowest VT: 7%
	Orange and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,302±$13kLowest 12% below VT	$109,375±$19kHighest 35% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$222,000±$22kLowest 30% below VT	$271,500±$22kHighest 14% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,330±$153 8% above VT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,545Lowest 30% below VT	$4,238Highest 16% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±87 VT: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	7.6%Highest VT: 10.1%	7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.8%Lowest VT: 73.2%	99%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT	1980Lowest 4 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 19% above VT	24 minLowest 4% above VT
Work from home	13.5%±4.3Lowest VT: 16.9%	15.3%±7.8Highest VT: 16.9%
	Waterford and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Echo Valley Community Union School District #67	Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

VT 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.