What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sharon has the most expensive homes ($476k median).

Orange has the most people working from home (20.8%).

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	Sharon	Orange
People
Population	442Highest	320Lowest
Median age	49.4±11.2Highest 14% above NH	41.3±9.1Lowest 5% below NH
	Sharon and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.4%±8.6Highest NH: 18.2%	20.6%±5.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Sharon and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.4%±6.8Highest NH: 20.1%	20%±5Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Sharon and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.2%Highest NH: 40.6%	37.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.6%±3Lowest NH: 6%	4.7%±3.7Highest NH: 6%
	Orange and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$113,125±$19kLowest 14% above NH	$118,750±$39kHighest 20% above NH
	Orange and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$475,900±$38kHighest 18% above NH	$302,600±$35kLowest 25% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,458±$1k about the NH average	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,274Highest 24% above NH	$5,132Lowest 23% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	28.6%±100Highest NH: 48.2%	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Sharon and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.2%Lowest NH: 7.2%	9.4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	97.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest same as NH	1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 20% above NH	28 minLowest 5% above NH
Work from home	11.2%±4.5Lowest NH: 16.8%	20.8%±8.9Highest NH: 16.8%
	Orange and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH 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.