What stands out worked out from the figures below

Marlborough has the shortest commute (21 min average).

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	Marlborough	Salisbury
People
Population	2,207Highest	1,609Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+2.9%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46±9.2Lowest 6% above NH	51.5±4.5Highest 19% above NH
	Salisbury and Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.5%±5.7Highest NH: 18.2%	20.1%±9.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Marlborough and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.7%±1.7Lowest NH: 20.1%	24.9%±4Highest NH: 20.1%
	Salisbury and Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.5%Highest NH: 40.6%	37.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.5%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%	2%±1.1Highest NH: 6%
	Salisbury and Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,032±$9kLowest 30% below NH	$111,591±$17kHighest 13% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$267,200±$35kLowest 34% below NH	$363,400±$47kHighest 10% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$323Lowest 24% below NH	$1,917±$632Highest 29% above NH
	Salisbury and Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,362Highest 5% below NH	$5,859Lowest 12% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.4%±25.3Highest NH: 48.2%	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Marlborough and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.2%Highest NH: 7.2%	7.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	96.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 3 yrs older than NH	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 21% below NH	32 minHighest 20% above NH
Work from home	12.3%±6.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	23.3%±10.6Highest NH: 16.8%
	Salisbury and Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Marlborough 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

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.