What stands out worked out from the figures below

Willimantic has the most kids (36.5% under 18).

Orland has the most expensive homes ($277k 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	Willimantic	Orland
People
Population	200Lowest	1,915Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-0.2% ME: +2.6%
Median age	38.5±11.9Lowest 14% below ME	50.6±4.2Highest 13% above ME
	Orland and Willimantic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	36.5%±11.4Highest ME: 18.1%	14.8%±5.1Lowest ME: 18.1%
Age 65+	25.5%±16.2Lowest ME: 22.4%	27.5%±2Highest ME: 22.4%
	Orland and Willimantic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	15.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%	31.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±6.9Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.8%±4.6Highest ME: 5.8%
	Orland and Willimantic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$63,472±$52kLowest 15% below ME	$69,348±$29kHighest 7% below ME
	Orland and Willimantic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$131,700±$21kLowest 56% below ME	$277,100±$20kHighest 7% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,149±$177 about the ME average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,285Lowest 58% below ME	$2,089Highest 31% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	45%±23.8 ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	32.5%Highest ME: 10.7%	7.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.2%Highest ME: 74.3%	87.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 9 yrs newer than ME	1978Lowest 1 yr newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 6% below ME	40 minHighest 62% above ME
Work from home	13.8%±13.9Lowest ME: 15.9%	17%±11.9Highest ME: 15.9%
	Orland and Willimantic 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

ME 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.