What stands out worked out from the figures below

Middleton has the highest household income ($167k).

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	Middleton	Salisbury
People
Population	9,816Highest	9,281Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+11.5%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.1±2Lowest 8% above MA	51.3±3.5Highest 28% above MA
Kids under 18	17.2%±3Highest MA: 19.4%	13.1%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Middleton and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.1%±2.9Lowest MA: 17.9%	25.5%±3.5Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%	43.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.9%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Salisbury and Middleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$167,402±$29kHighest 61% above MA	$93,361±$6kLowest 10% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$742,700±$48kHighest 32% above MA	$478,700±$27kLowest 15% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,407±$284Lowest 20% below MA	$1,691±$411Highest 4% below MA
	Salisbury and Middleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,785Highest 47% above MA	$4,604Lowest 23% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	25.7%±25.3Lowest MA: 51.8%	61.9%±11.5Highest MA: 51.8%
	Salisbury and Middleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Lowest MA: 10%	5%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	71.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 22 yrs newer than MA	1980Lowest 16 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 3% above MA	28 minLowest 5% below MA
Work from home	12.5%±3.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	19.8%±5.8Highest MA: 18.6%
	Salisbury and Middleton 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	#71 of 282 in MA	#240 of 282 in MA
School district	Middleton	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.