What stands out worked out from the figures below

Salisbury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.9%).

Rochester has the most people working from home (40.8%).

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	Rochester
People
Population	1,609Highest	1,389Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-3.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	51.5±4.5Lowest 32% above U.S.	53.3±7.6Highest 37% above U.S.
	Rochester and Salisbury 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%	10.4%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Salisbury and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.9%±4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	31.5%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Rochester 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%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	49%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	0.4%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Salisbury and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,591±$17kHighest 38% above U.S.	$72,676±$8kLowest 10% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$363,400±$47kHighest 9% above U.S.	$253,600±$81kLowest 24% below U.S.
	Salisbury and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,917±$632Highest 36% above U.S.	$929±$158Lowest 34% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,859Highest 88% above U.S.	$3,977Lowest 28% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	62.4%±27.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Rochester 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 U.S.: 12.5%	18.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	86.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 21% above U.S.	27 minLowest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	23.3%±10.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	40.8%±27.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Rochester and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Merrimack Valley School District	Rochester Stockbridge Unified School District #81
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.