What stands out worked out from the figures below

Salem has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.6%).

Keene has the most affordable homes ($253k 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	Keene
People
Population	30,964Highest	22,939Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.6%Highest NH: +4.6%	-1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	44.6±2.7Highest 3% above NH	37.6±2.3Lowest 13% below NH
Kids under 18	16.2%±2.1Highest NH: 18.2%	14.1%±1.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Salem and Keene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.6%±1.7Lowest NH: 20.1%	19.5%±1.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Keene and Salem 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 NH: 40.6%	44.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1Lowest NH: 6%	13.8%±1.4Highest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,490±$9kHighest 12% above NH	$78,445±$8kLowest 21% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$473,300±$16kHighest 18% above NH	$252,500±$12kLowest 37% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,625±$146Highest 9% above NH	$1,342±$68Lowest 10% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,992Highest 5% above NH	$6,812Lowest about the NH average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.5%±9.6 NH: 48.2%	44.5%±6.1 NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	5%Lowest NH: 7.2%	10.1%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.6%Highest NH: 72.8%	55.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 2 yrs older than NH	1961Lowest 18 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 9% above NH	17 minLowest 36% below NH
Work from home	16.3%±2.9Highest NH: 16.8%	15.6%±2.7Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Salem and Keene 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	#38 of 120 in NH	#81 of 120 in NH
School district	Salem School District	Keene School District
High school in town	Salem High School	Keene High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Lowest	12.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH 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.