What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cornish has the most affordable homes ($296k median).

Salisbury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.5%).

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	Cornish	Salisbury
People
Population	1,816Lowest	9,281Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	54±8.3Highest 39% above U.S.	51.3±3.5Lowest 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%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%	13.1%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Cornish 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%	25.5%±3.5Lowest 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%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	43.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.9%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,821±$2kLowest 14% above U.S.	$93,361±$6kHighest 16% above U.S.
	Salisbury and Cornish 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.	$478,700±$27kHighest 44% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,221±$227Lowest 14% below U.S.	$1,691±$411Highest 20% above U.S.
	Salisbury and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,796Highest 86% above U.S.	$4,604Lowest 48% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.5%±38.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	61.9%±11.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Salisbury and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	71.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980 same as U.S.	1980 same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	12%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.8%±5.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Salisbury and Cornish 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	—	#240 of 282 in MA
School district	Cornish 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.