What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bridgewater has the most homeowners (79.7%).

Salisbury has the most people working from home (19.7%).

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	Bridgewater	Salisbury
People
Population	1,169Lowest	5,656Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+15.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	58.3±6.3Highest 50% above U.S.	51±6.9Lowest 31% above U.S.
	Bridgewater and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	10.8%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	12.3%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Salisbury and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	33.1%±1.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	29.1%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bridgewater and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.3%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±2.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$82,361±$9kLowest about the U.S. average	$92,469±$7kHighest 15% above U.S.
	Salisbury and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$398,600±$65kLowest 20% above U.S.	$465,900±$31kHighest 40% above U.S.
	Salisbury and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$201Lowest 20% below U.S.	$1,770±$444Highest 25% above U.S.
	Salisbury and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,823Lowest 9% below U.S.	$4,561Highest 46% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.1%±13.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59.8%±11.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	11.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	65.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.	30 minLowest 13% above U.S.
Work from home	8%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.7%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#240 of 282 in MA
School district	Newfound Area 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.