What stands out worked out from the figures below

Essex has the most affordable homes ($552k median).

Salisbury has the most people working from home (28%).

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	Essex	Salisbury
People
Population	6,794Highest	4,224Lowest
Median age	52.4±3.6Highest 27% above CT	44.2±9.9Lowest 8% above CT
	Essex and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.2%±3.3Lowest CT: 20.2%	19.2%±6.9Highest CT: 20.2%
	Salisbury and Essex are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.4%±3.8Lowest CT: 18.5%	28.1%±5.1Highest CT: 18.5%
	Salisbury and Essex are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%	58.8%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	8.7%±3.7Highest CT: 7.1%	2.9%±2.1Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Essex and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,395±$7kLowest 9% above CT	$124,256±$26kHighest 30% above CT
	Salisbury and Essex are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$552,000±$53kLowest 50% above CT	$763,700±$121kHighest 108% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,623±$326Lowest 9% above CT	$1,846±$736Highest 24% above CT
	Salisbury and Essex are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,678Highest 15% below CT	$5,125Lowest 23% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.5%±9.7Highest CT: 52.6%	23.2%±11.8Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Essex and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.2%Lowest CT: 10%	4.2%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.1%Highest CT: 66.5%	68.2%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 4 yrs newer than CT	1967Lowest same as CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 3% above CT	20 minLowest 25% below CT
Work from home	19.4%±4.6Lowest CT: 16%	28%±8Highest CT: 16%
	Salisbury and Essex 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	#33 of 149 in CT	#19 of 149 in CT
School district	Essex 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.