What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lempster has the most affordable homes ($242k median).

Salisbury has the most people working from home (23.3%).

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	Lempster	Salisbury
People
Population	953Lowest	1,609Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.1%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+2.9%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	50.8±7.2Lowest 17% above NH	51.5±4.5Highest 19% above NH
	Salisbury and Lempster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.8%±4.1Lowest NH: 18.2%	20.1%±9.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Salisbury and Lempster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.4%±3.5Highest NH: 20.1%	24.9%±4Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Lempster and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%	37.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±2.6Highest NH: 6%	2%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,607±$12kLowest 13% below NH	$111,591±$17kHighest 13% above NH
	Salisbury and Lempster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$241,900±$29kLowest 40% below NH	$363,400±$47kHighest 10% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,917±$632 29% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,558Lowest 32% below NH	$5,859Highest 12% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest NH: 48.2%	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Lempster and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.2%Highest NH: 7.2%	7.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	98.2%Highest NH: 72.8%	96.9%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 40% above NH	32 minLowest 20% above NH
Work from home	5%±2.5Lowest NH: 16.8%	23.3%±10.6Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	Lempster School District	Merrimack Valley School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

NH 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.