What stands out worked out from the figures below

Salisbury has the most affordable homes ($363k median).

Lancaster has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.8%).

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	Salisbury	Lancaster
People
Population	1,609Lowest	8,606Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	51.5±4.5Highest 32% above U.S.	43.1±4.9Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Salisbury and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.1%±9.6Highest U.S.: 22%	19.2%±4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Salisbury and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.9%±4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.9%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Salisbury and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Lancaster and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,591±$17kLowest 38% above U.S.	$134,833±$27kHighest 67% above U.S.
	Lancaster and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$363,400±$47kLowest 9% above U.S.	$519,100±$60kHighest 56% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,917±$632Lowest 36% above U.S.	$2,338±$539Highest 65% above U.S.
	Lancaster and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,859Lowest 88% above U.S.	$7,235Highest 132% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.3%±36.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Lancaster and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	1.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	85.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 21% above U.S.	32 minLowest 20% above U.S.
Work from home	23.3%±10.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	33.6%±9.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Lancaster and Salisbury 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	—	#145 of 282 in MA
School district	Merrimack Valley School District	Nashoba
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.