What stands out worked out from the figures below

Salem has the shortest commute (32 min average).

Marlborough has the most people working from home (33.2%).

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	Marlborough
People
Population	4,282Lowest	6,130Highest
Median age	40.9±5.4Lowest about the CT average	41.8±4.7Highest about the CT average
	Marlborough and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.2%±5.1Lowest CT: 20.2%	23.6%±5.2Highest CT: 20.2%
	Marlborough and Salem 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%	16.3%±3.5Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Salem and Marlborough 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%	45.9%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±3.3Highest CT: 7.1%	5.1%±2.6Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Salem and Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$123,245±$8kLowest 29% above CT	$142,105±$35kHighest 48% above CT
	Marlborough and Salem 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	$379,100±$33kLowest 3% above CT
	Salem and Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,440±$150Highest 3% below CT	$1,333±$438Lowest 10% below CT
	Salem and Marlborough 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	$7,397Highest 11% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.1%±26Lowest CT: 52.6%	59.2%±36Highest CT: 52.6%
	Marlborough and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.2%Lowest CT: 10%	9.7%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.6%Lowest CT: 66.5%	92.6%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Highest 21 yrs newer than CT	1977Lowest 10 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 19% above CT	34 minHighest 29% above CT
Work from home	18%±9.6Lowest CT: 16%	33.2%±8.9Highest CT: 16%
	Marlborough 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	#52 of 149 in CT
School district	Salem School District	Marlborough 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.