What stands out worked out from the figures below

Salem has the most people working from home (21.6%).

Webster has the most affordable homes ($362k 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	Webster
People
Population	44,795Highest	17,748Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.6%Highest MA: +7.4%	+6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	39.3±1.5Lowest about the MA average	39.9±2.9Highest about the MA average
	Webster and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.7%±1.7Lowest MA: 19.4%	19.6%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Webster and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.2%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%	19.6%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%
	Webster and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.8%Highest MA: 47.3%	25.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	8.2%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%	5.8%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Salem and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$85,153±$5kHighest 18% below MA	$72,895±$6kLowest 30% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$542,800±$18kHighest 3% below MA	$361,500±$12kLowest 36% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,836±$84Highest 4% above MA	$1,228±$81Lowest 30% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,114Highest about the MA average	$3,999Lowest 33% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.9%±4.8Highest MA: 51.8%	45.7%±6.7Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Salem and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.1%Lowest MA: 10%	12.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	49.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	59.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA	1962Highest 2 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest about the MA average	31 minHighest 5% above MA
Work from home	21.6%±2.5Highest MA: 18.6%	8%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#248 of 282 in MA	#271 of 282 in MA
School district	Salem	Webster
High school in town	Salem High	Bartlett High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	11.6Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.