Compare towns
Cornish vs Dummerston vs Exeter vs Salisbury
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Cornish has the most affordable homes ($296k median).
Dummerston has the shortest commute (21 min average).
Exeter has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.2%).
Salisbury has the most homeowners (96.9%).
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.
| Measure | Cornish | Dummerston | Exeter | Salisbury |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 1,816 |
2,090 |
16,151Highest |
1,609Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -1.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+0.1% U.S.: +7.4% |
+12.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+2.9% U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 54±8.3Highest 39% above U.S. |
45.6±11.7Lowest 17% above U.S. |
45.8±2.3 18% above U.S. |
51.5±4.5 32% above U.S. |
| Cornish and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 14.4%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22% |
21.7%±6Highest U.S.: 22% |
17%±2.7 U.S.: 22% |
20.1%±9.6 U.S.: 22% |
| Dummerston and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 27.3%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
24.3%±3Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
24.4%±2.8 U.S.: 17.2% |
24.9%±4 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Cornish and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 40.6% U.S.: 35.7% |
58.7% U.S.: 35.7% |
59.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
37.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.4%±0.9 U.S.: 6.4% |
1.3%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
6.1%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
2%±1.1 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $91,821±$2kLowest 14% above U.S. |
$101,696±$21k 26% above U.S. |
$110,346±$13k 37% above U.S. |
$111,591±$17kHighest 38% above U.S. |
| Salisbury and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $296,000±$69kLowest 11% below U.S. |
$335,300±$22k about the U.S. average |
$456,600±$21kHighest 37% above U.S. |
$363,400±$47k 9% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,221±$227Lowest 14% below U.S. |
$1,392±$126 about the U.S. average |
$1,856±$223 31% above U.S. |
$1,917±$632Highest 36% above U.S. |
| Salisbury and Exeter are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,796 86% above U.S. |
$4,536Lowest 45% above U.S. |
$8,814Highest 183% above U.S. |
$5,859 88% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 40.5%±38.1 U.S.: 51.1% |
44.1%±32.2 U.S.: 51.1% |
59%±11.3Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Exeter and Dummerston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 4.7% U.S.: 12.5% |
4.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
4.7% U.S.: 12.5% |
7.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 94.1% U.S.: 65.2% |
92.9% U.S.: 65.2% |
69.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
96.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1980 same as U.S. |
1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S. |
1979 1 yr older than U.S. |
1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min 8% below U.S. |
21 minLowest 21% below U.S. |
25 min 6% below U.S. |
32 minHighest 21% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 12%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
25.9%±10.3Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
19.9%±3.7 U.S.: 15.1% |
23.3%±10.6 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Dummerston 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 | — | — | #22 of 120 in NH | — |
| School district | Cornish School District | Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96 | Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District | Merrimack Valley School District |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | Exeter High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 12.1 |
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| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | None yet | 59 photos → | 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.