What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orleans has the most affordable homes ($156k median).

Cornish has the most expensive homes ($296k median).

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	Orleans	Cornish
People
Population	809Lowest	1,816Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-1.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.7±5.8Lowest 7% above U.S.	54±8.3Highest 39% above U.S.
	Cornish and Orleans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.9%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%	14.4%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Orleans and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.7%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	27.3%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	40.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Orleans and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,159±$10kLowest 29% below U.S.	$91,821±$2kHighest 14% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$156,300±$18kLowest 53% below U.S.	$296,000±$69kHighest 11% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$810±$94Lowest 43% below U.S.	$1,221±$227Highest 14% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,019Lowest 3% below U.S.	$5,796Highest 86% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.3%±17.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	40.5%±38.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Cornish and Orleans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	94.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1980Highest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 19% above U.S.	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.
Work from home	8.3%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	12%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Cornish and Orleans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Cornish School District
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.