What stands out worked out from the figures below

Newton has the highest household income ($138k).

Salisbury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.5%).

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	Newton	Salisbury
People
Population	4,836Lowest	9,281Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	47.8±5.7Lowest 23% above U.S.	51.3±3.5Highest 32% above U.S.
	Salisbury and Newton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.1%±4.3Highest U.S.: 22%	13.1%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Newton and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16%±3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.5%±3.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	43.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.9%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Salisbury and Newton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$138,487±$29kHighest 72% above U.S.	$93,361±$6kLowest 16% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$459,500±$18kLowest 38% above U.S.	$478,700±$27kHighest 44% above U.S.
	Salisbury and Newton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,683±$96Lowest 19% above U.S.	$1,691±$411Highest 20% above U.S.
	Salisbury and Newton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,124Highest 160% above U.S.	$4,604Lowest 48% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62%±41.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	61.9%±11.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Newton and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	71.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.	1980Lowest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	18.1%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.8%±5.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Salisbury and Newton 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	#70 of 120 in NH	#240 of 282 in MA
School district	Sanborn Regional School District	Triton
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.