What stands out worked out from the figures below

Danielson has the most affordable homes ($225k median).

Salem has the most people working from home (18%).

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	Danielson	Salem
People
Population	4,209Lowest	4,282Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.6% CT: +0.9%	—
Median age	34.5±3.6Lowest 16% below CT	40.9±5.4Highest about the CT average
	Salem and Danielson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.9%±6.1Lowest CT: 20.2%	23.2%±5.1Highest CT: 20.2%
	Salem and Danielson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13.6%±4.9Lowest CT: 18.5%	19.7%±4.7Highest CT: 18.5%
	Salem and Danielson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	11.5%Lowest CT: 42.5%	50.6%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9.2%±6.6Highest CT: 7.1%	5.8%±3.3Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Danielson and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,050±$15kLowest 33% below CT	$123,245±$8kHighest 29% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$224,600±$13kLowest 39% below CT	$403,600±$33kHighest 10% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,235±$194Lowest 17% below CT	$1,440±$150Highest 3% below CT
	Salem and Danielson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,009Lowest 40% below CT	$6,668Highest about the CT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.7%±17.1Highest CT: 52.6%	32.1%±26Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Danielson and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	21.1%Highest CT: 10%	6.2%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	53%Lowest CT: 66.5%	86.6%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1951Lowest 16 yrs older than CT	1988Highest 21 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 7% above CT	32 minHighest 19% above CT
Work from home	6.6%±5.3Lowest CT: 16%	18%±9.6Highest CT: 16%
	Salem and Danielson 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	—	#11 of 149 in CT
School district	—	Salem School District
High school 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.