What stands out worked out from the figures below

Fairlee has the most affordable homes ($274k median).

Salisbury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.9%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Fairlee	Salisbury
People
Population	1,066Lowest	1,609Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	56.2±8.7Highest 44% above U.S.	51.5±4.5Lowest 32% above U.S.
	Fairlee and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.2%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.1%±9.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Salisbury and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	33.4%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	24.9%±4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Fairlee and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	37.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±3.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Fairlee and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,760±$10kLowest 7% below U.S.	$111,591±$17kHighest 38% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$274,200±$39kLowest 18% below U.S.	$363,400±$47kHighest 9% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,083±$242Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,917±$632Highest 36% above U.S.
	Salisbury and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,617Lowest 80% above U.S.	$5,859Highest 88% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	89.2%±71.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Fairlee and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	96.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.	32 minHighest 21% above U.S.
Work from home	15%±7.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	23.3%±10.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Salisbury and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Rivendell Interstate School District	Merrimack Valley School District
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.