What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bridgewater has the most affordable homes ($399k median).

Salisbury has the most people working from home (19.8%).

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	Bridgewater	Salisbury
People
Population	1,169Lowest	9,281Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	58.3±6.3Highest 50% above U.S.	51.3±3.5Lowest 32% 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%	13.1%±2.9Highest 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%	25.5%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	43.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.3%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.9%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$82,361±$9kLowest about the U.S. average	$93,361±$6kHighest 16% 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.	$478,700±$27kHighest 44% 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.	$1,691±$411Highest 20% 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.	$4,604Highest 48% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.1%±13.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	61.9%±11.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	11.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	71.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.	1980Highest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	8%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.8%±5.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#240 of 282 in MA
School district	Newfound Area School District	Triton
High school in town	None 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.