What stands out worked out from the figures below

Raymond has the most affordable homes ($370k median).

Salem has the most people working from home (16.3%).

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	Raymond	Salem
People
Population	10,900Lowest	30,964Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	+4.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	43.4±3.8Lowest about the NH average	44.6±2.7Highest 3% above NH
	Salem and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±3.6Highest NH: 18.2%	16.2%±2.1Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Raymond and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18%±3.3Lowest NH: 20.1%	18.6%±1.7Highest NH: 20.1%
	Salem and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.4%Lowest NH: 40.6%	38.7%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%	4.3%±1Highest NH: 6%
	Salem and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,597±$10kLowest 6% above NH	$110,490±$9kHighest 12% above NH
	Salem and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$370,400±$17kLowest 8% below NH	$473,300±$16kHighest 18% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,376±$196Lowest 8% below NH	$1,625±$146Highest 9% above NH
	Salem and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,146Lowest 8% below NH	$6,992Highest 5% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	24.1%±11.9Lowest NH: 48.2%	44.5%±9.6Highest NH: 48.2%
	Salem and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.7%Highest NH: 7.2%	5%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.8%Highest NH: 72.8%	75.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 4 yrs newer than NH	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 12% above NH	29 minLowest 9% above NH
Work from home	9.4%±3.5Lowest NH: 16.8%	16.3%±2.9Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#96 of 120 in NH	#38 of 120 in NH
School district	Raymond School District	Salem School District
High school in town	Raymond High School	Salem High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2	11.2
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.