What stands out worked out from the figures below

Salem has the most people working from home (16.3%).

Raymond has the most affordable homes ($370k 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	Raymond
People
Population	30,964Highest	10,900Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+5.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	44.6±2.7Highest 3% above NH	43.4±3.8Lowest about the NH average
	Salem and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.2%±2.1Lowest NH: 18.2%	18%±3.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Raymond and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.6%±1.7Highest NH: 20.1%	18%±3.3Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Salem and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38.7%Highest NH: 40.6%	26.4%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1Highest NH: 6%	3.9%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%
	Salem and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,490±$9kHighest 12% above NH	$104,597±$10kLowest 6% above NH
	Salem and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$473,300±$16kHighest 18% above NH	$370,400±$17kLowest 8% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,625±$146Highest 9% above NH	$1,376±$196Lowest 8% below NH
	Salem and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,992Highest 5% above NH	$6,146Lowest 8% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.5%±9.6Highest NH: 48.2%	24.1%±11.9Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Salem and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5%Lowest NH: 7.2%	6.7%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%	85.8%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH	1983Highest 4 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 9% above NH	30 minHighest 12% above NH
Work from home	16.3%±2.9Highest NH: 16.8%	9.4%±3.5Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#38 of 120 in NH	#96 of 120 in NH
School district	Salem School District	Raymond School District
High school in town	Salem High School	Raymond High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2	11.2
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.