What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wolcott has the most affordable homes ($326k median).

Orange has the most expensive homes ($492k 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	Wolcott	Orange
People
Population	16,279Highest	14,315Lowest
Median age	44.4±2.5Lowest 8% above CT	45.6±2.4Highest 11% above CT
	Orange and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±3.1Lowest CT: 20.2%	22.9%±2.5Highest CT: 20.2%
	Orange and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.8%±2.8Lowest CT: 18.5%	23%±2.7Highest CT: 18.5%
	Orange and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37%Lowest CT: 42.5%	59.4%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±1.9Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.5%±2Highest CT: 7.1%
	Orange and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,850±$10kLowest 16% above CT	$142,325±$10kHighest 49% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$326,200±$17kLowest 11% below CT	$491,500±$17kHighest 34% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,464±$913Lowest about the CT average	$2,172±$161Highest 46% above CT
	Orange and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,799Lowest 13% below CT	$8,988Highest 35% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.8%±24.2Lowest CT: 52.6%	64%±12.1Highest CT: 52.6%
	Orange and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.8%Lowest CT: 10%	3.9%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.4%Lowest CT: 66.5%	89.2%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT	1964Lowest 3 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 13% above CT	28 minLowest 4% above CT
Work from home	11.2%±3.1Lowest CT: 16%	15.6%±2.9Highest CT: 16%
	Orange and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#76 of 149 in CT	#38 of 149 in CT
School district	Wolcott School District	Orange School District · Regional School District 05
High school in town	Wolcott High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	10.1	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

CT 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.