What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chester has the most affordable homes ($442k 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	Chester	Salisbury
People
Population	3,825Lowest	4,224Highest
Median age	54±3.4Highest 31% above CT	44.2±9.9Lowest 8% above CT
	Chester and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.5%±4.9Lowest CT: 20.2%	19.2%±6.9Highest CT: 20.2%
	Salisbury and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.8%±4Lowest CT: 18.5%	28.1%±5.1Highest CT: 18.5%
	Salisbury and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%	58.8%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±2.9Highest CT: 7.1%	2.9%±2.1Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Chester and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$109,191±$18kLowest 14% above CT	$124,256±$26kHighest 30% above CT
	Salisbury and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$442,200±$25kLowest 21% above CT	$763,700±$121kHighest 108% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,549±$247Lowest 4% above CT	$1,846±$736Highest 24% above CT
	Salisbury and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,364Highest 4% below CT	$5,125Lowest 23% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.4%±22.1Highest CT: 52.6%	23.2%±11.8Lowest CT: 52.6%
Below poverty line	11.8%Highest CT: 10%	4.2%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.2%Highest CT: 66.5%	68.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Highest 2 yrs newer than CT	1967Lowest same as CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 7% above CT	20 minLowest 25% below CT
Work from home	18.3%±5.6Lowest CT: 16%	28%±8Highest CT: 16%
	Salisbury and Chester 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	#8 of 149 in CT	#19 of 149 in CT
School district	Chester School District	Salisbury School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.