What stands out worked out from the figures below

Newbury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.8%).

Salisbury has the most affordable homes ($363k 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	Newbury	Salisbury
People
Population	2,027Highest	1,609Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.8%Highest NH: +4.6%	+2.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	53.3±3.6Highest 23% above NH	51.5±4.5Lowest 19% above NH
	Newbury and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17%±3.2Lowest NH: 18.2%	20.1%±9.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Salisbury and Newbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.6%±3.7Lowest NH: 20.1%	24.9%±4Highest NH: 20.1%
	Salisbury and Newbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	53%Highest NH: 40.6%	37.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±2.3Highest NH: 6%	2%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Newbury and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$116,477±$18kHighest 18% above NH	$111,591±$17kLowest 13% above NH
	Newbury and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$463,400±$36kHighest 15% above NH	$363,400±$47kLowest 10% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,917±$632 29% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,695Lowest 15% below NH	$5,859Highest 12% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±24.1Highest NH: 48.2%	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Newbury and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	7.1%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	96.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 8 yrs newer than NH	1982Lowest 3 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 22% above NH	32 minLowest 20% above NH
Work from home	20.1%±7.3Lowest NH: 16.8%	23.3%±10.6Highest NH: 16.8%
	Salisbury and Newbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Merrimack Valley School District
High school 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.