What stands out worked out from the figures below

Merrimac has the highest household income ($123k).

Salisbury has the most people working from home (19.8%).

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	Merrimac	Salisbury
People
Population	6,748Lowest	9,281Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+11.5%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.4±6.8Lowest 24% above MA	51.3±3.5Highest 28% above MA
	Salisbury and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.5%±6.2Highest MA: 19.4%	13.1%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Merrimac and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.7%±5.8Highest MA: 17.9%	25.5%±3.5Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Merrimac and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41%Lowest MA: 47.3%	43.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.9%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Salisbury and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$123,054±$16kHighest 18% above MA	$93,361±$6kLowest 10% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$553,400±$38kHighest about the MA average	$478,700±$27kLowest 15% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,352±$325Lowest 23% below MA	$1,691±$411Highest 4% below MA
	Salisbury and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,399Highest 23% above MA	$4,604Lowest 23% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.3%±29.1Lowest MA: 51.8%	61.9%±11.5Highest MA: 51.8%
	Salisbury and Merrimac are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.4%Highest MA: 10%	5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.3%Highest MA: 62.5%	71.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 18 yrs newer than MA	1980Lowest 16 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 10% above MA	28 minLowest 5% below MA
Work from home	8.5%±3.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	19.8%±5.8Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#188 of 282 in MA	#240 of 282 in MA
School district	Pentucket	Triton
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

MA 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.