What stands out worked out from the figures below

Salisbury has the most people working from home (23.3%).

Lempster has the most affordable homes ($242k 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	Salisbury	Lempster
People
Population	1,609Highest	953Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.9%Highest NH: +4.6%	-3.1%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	51.5±4.5Highest 19% above NH	50.8±7.2Lowest 17% above NH
	Salisbury and Lempster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.1%±9.6Highest NH: 18.2%	12.8%±4.1Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Salisbury and Lempster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.9%±4Lowest NH: 20.1%	25.4%±3.5Highest NH: 20.1%
	Lempster and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.3%Highest NH: 40.6%	28.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%	6.1%±2.6Highest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,591±$17kHighest 13% above NH	$86,607±$12kLowest 13% below NH
	Salisbury and Lempster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$363,400±$47kHighest 10% below NH	$241,900±$29kLowest 40% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,917±$632 29% above NH	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,859Highest 12% below NH	$4,558Lowest 32% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%	100%±100Highest NH: 48.2%
	Lempster and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%	7.2%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.9%Lowest NH: 72.8%	98.2%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 20% above NH	37 minHighest 40% above NH
Work from home	23.3%±10.6Highest NH: 16.8%	5%±2.5Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	Merrimack Valley School District	Lempster School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.