What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Canterbury has the oldest population (median age 48.4).

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	Canterbury
People
Population	4,282Lowest	5,124Highest
Median age	40.9±5.4Lowest about the CT average	48.4±4.5Highest 18% above CT
	Canterbury and Salem 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%	15%±3.5Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Salem and Canterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.7%±4.7Lowest CT: 18.5%	25.5%±4.4Highest CT: 18.5%
	Canterbury and Salem 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%	26.2%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±3.3Highest CT: 7.1%	4.4%±2Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Salem and Canterbury 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	$103,198±$6kLowest 8% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$403,600±$33kHighest 10% above CT	$334,200±$12kLowest 9% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,440±$150Highest 3% below CT	$924±$367Lowest 38% below CT
	Salem and Canterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,668Highest about the CT average	$4,140Lowest 38% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.1%±26Lowest CT: 52.6%	40%±13Highest CT: 52.6%
	Canterbury 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%	4.9%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.6%Lowest CT: 66.5%	88.7%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Highest 21 yrs newer than CT	1975Lowest 8 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 19% above CT	32 minHighest 20% above CT
Work from home	18%±9.6Highest CT: 16%	14.7%±5.4Lowest CT: 16%
	Salem and Canterbury 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	#125 of 149 in CT
School district	Salem School District	Canterbury 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.