What stands out worked out from the figures below

Salem has the most affordable homes ($473k median).

Acton has the most people working from home (35.9%).

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	Acton
People
Population	30,964Highest	24,155Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.6±2.7Highest 15% above U.S.	44.5±0.8Lowest 14% above U.S.
	Salem and Acton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.2%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.2%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	18.6%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.6%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Salem and Acton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	79.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.9%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Acton and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,490±$9kLowest 37% above U.S.	$158,230±$14kHighest 96% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$473,300±$16kLowest 42% above U.S.	$807,300±$20kHighest 143% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,625±$146Lowest 15% above U.S.	$1,986±$155Highest 41% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,992Lowest 124% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.5%±9.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	47.7%±11.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Acton and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	74.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1974Lowest 6 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 10% above U.S.	35 minHighest 31% above U.S.
Work from home	16.3%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	35.9%±4.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#38 of 120 in NH	#13 of 282 in MA
School district	Salem School District	Acton-Boxborough
High school in town	Salem High School	Acton-Boxborough Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Lowest	13.5Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.