What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Salem has the most expensive homes ($404k median).

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	Hampton	Salem
People
Population	1,647Lowest	4,282Highest
Median age	51.5±5.3Highest 25% above CT	40.9±5.4Lowest about the CT average
	Hampton and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.7%±5.3Lowest CT: 20.2%	23.2%±5.1Highest CT: 20.2%
	Salem and Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.1%±2.1Highest CT: 18.5%	19.7%±4.7Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Hampton and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%	50.6%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±1.1Lowest CT: 7.1%	5.8%±3.3Highest CT: 7.1%
	Salem and Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$109,167±$19kLowest 14% above CT	$123,245±$8kHighest 29% above CT
	Salem and Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$295,800±$27kLowest 19% below CT	$403,600±$33kHighest 10% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,285±$288Lowest 14% below CT	$1,440±$150Highest 3% below CT
	Salem and Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,364Lowest 34% below CT	$6,668Highest about the CT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.5%±51.5Highest CT: 52.6%	32.1%±26Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Hampton and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Lowest CT: 10%	6.2%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90%Highest CT: 66.5%	86.6%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Lowest 13 yrs newer than CT	1988Highest 21 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 9% above CT	32 minHighest 19% above CT
Work from home	17.7%±5.1Lowest CT: 16%	18%±9.6Highest CT: 16%
	Salem and Hampton 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	Hampton School District	Salem 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.