What stands out worked out from the figures below

Salem has the most kids (23.2% under 18).

Ashford has the most affordable homes ($335k 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	Salem	Ashford
People
Population	4,282Highest	4,226Lowest
Median age	40.9±5.4Highest about the CT average	37.9±10.3Lowest 8% below CT
	Salem and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.2%±5.1Highest CT: 20.2%	18.5%±5.5Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Salem and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.7%±4.7Highest CT: 18.5%	18.9%±3.7Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Salem and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50.6%Highest CT: 42.5%	35.3%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±3.3Highest CT: 7.1%	4.4%±1.7Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Salem and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$123,245±$8kHighest 29% above CT	$121,926±$23kLowest 27% above CT
	Salem and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$403,600±$33kHighest 10% above CT	$334,800±$18kLowest 9% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,440±$150Highest 3% below CT	$1,246±$208Lowest 16% below CT
	Salem and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,668Lowest about the CT average	$6,982Highest 5% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.1%±26Lowest CT: 52.6%	47%±26Highest CT: 52.6%
	Ashford and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.2%Highest CT: 10%	5.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.6%Highest CT: 66.5%	76.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Highest 21 yrs newer than CT	1982Lowest 15 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 19% above CT	34 minHighest 30% above CT
Work from home	18%±9.6Lowest CT: 16%	19.3%±5.5Highest CT: 16%
	Ashford and Salem 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	#11 of 149 in CT	#90 of 149 in CT
School district	Salem School District	Ashford School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

CT 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.