What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orford has the most affordable homes ($272k median).

Salisbury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.9%).

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	Orford	Salisbury
People
Population	1,295Lowest	1,609Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	0%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+2.9%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.9±3.3Lowest 13% above NH	51.5±4.5Highest 19% above NH
	Salisbury and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.3%±3.1Lowest NH: 18.2%	20.1%±9.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Salisbury and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.5%±4.2Highest NH: 20.1%	24.9%±4Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Orford and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44%Highest NH: 40.6%	37.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±2.1Highest NH: 6%	2%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Orford and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,571±$24kLowest 7% below NH	$111,591±$17kHighest 13% above NH
	Salisbury and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,900±$25kLowest 32% below NH	$363,400±$47kHighest 10% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,263±$686Lowest 15% below NH	$1,917±$632Highest 29% above NH
	Salisbury and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,836Lowest 12% below NH	$5,859Highest 12% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.8%±10.7Highest NH: 48.2%	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Orford and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%	7.1%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%	96.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 4% below NH	32 minHighest 20% above NH
Work from home	10.8%±4.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	23.3%±10.6Highest NH: 16.8%
	Salisbury and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Rivendell Interstate School District	Merrimack Valley School District
High school in town	Rivendell Academy	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5	—
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.