What stands out worked out from the figures below

Canaan has the most affordable homes ($469k median).

Salisbury has the most expensive homes ($764k 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	Canaan	Salisbury
People
Population	1,175Lowest	4,224Highest
Median age	54.2±3.2Highest 32% above CT	44.2±9.9Lowest 8% above CT
	Canaan and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.6%±3.4Lowest CT: 20.2%	19.2%±6.9Highest CT: 20.2%
	Salisbury and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.5%±1.9Lowest CT: 18.5%	28.1%±5.1Highest CT: 18.5%
	Salisbury and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	49.8%Lowest CT: 42.5%	58.8%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	12%±8.3Highest CT: 7.1%	2.9%±2.1Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Canaan and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$89,632±$25kLowest 6% below CT	$124,256±$26kHighest 30% above CT
	Salisbury and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$469,400±$33kLowest 28% above CT	$763,700±$121kHighest 108% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,830±$307Lowest 23% above CT	$1,846±$736Highest 24% above CT
	Salisbury and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,331Highest 5% below CT	$5,125Lowest 23% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.1%±26Highest CT: 52.6%	23.2%±11.8Lowest CT: 52.6%
Below poverty line	16%Highest CT: 10%	4.2%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.8%Highest CT: 66.5%	68.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1944Lowest 23 yrs older than CT	1967Highest same as CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 37% below CT	20 minHighest 25% below CT
Work from home	29.2%±13.5Highest CT: 16%	28%±8Lowest CT: 16%
	Canaan and Salisbury 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	—	#19 of 149 in CT
School district	Canaan School District · Regional School District 01	Salisbury School District
High school in town	Housatonic Valley Regional High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.4	—
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.