What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orford has the highest household income ($93k).

Norton has the most people working from home (25.5%).

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	Orford	Norton
People
Population	1,295Highest	108Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	0% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	48.9±3.3Lowest 26% above U.S.	53.8±6.7Highest 38% above U.S.
	Norton and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.3%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	13%±21.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Norton and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.5%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	31.5%±15.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Norton and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	28.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.6%±10.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Orford and Norton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,571±$24kHighest 15% above U.S.	$65,625±$23kLowest 19% below U.S.
	Orford and Norton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,900±$25kHighest 18% below U.S.	$200,000±$32kLowest 40% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,263±$686 11% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,836Highest 87% above U.S.	$2,769Lowest 11% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.8%±10.7 U.S.: 51.1%	—
Below poverty line	5.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	100%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1974Highest 6 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 3% below U.S.	39 minHighest 49% above U.S.
Work from home	10.8%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	25.5%±18Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Norton and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Rivendell Interstate School District	—
High school in town	Rivendell Academy	—
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.