What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Ryegate has the most affordable homes ($219k 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	Ryegate
People
Population	1,609Highest	1,059Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	51.5±4.5Highest 32% above U.S.	41.2±2.6Lowest 6% above U.S.
Kids under 18	20.1%±9.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.2%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Ryegate and Salisbury 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%	22.1%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Salisbury and Ryegate 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 U.S.: 35.7%	29.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	2.4%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Ryegate 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±$17kHighest 38% above U.S.	$66,484±$15kLowest 18% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$363,400±$47kHighest 9% above U.S.	$219,300±$32kLowest 34% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,917±$632Highest 36% above U.S.	$908±$236Lowest 36% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,859Highest 88% above U.S.	$3,472Lowest 11% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±29.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ryegate 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%	14.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	84.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1949Lowest 31 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 21% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	23.3%±10.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.2%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	Merrimack Valley School District	—
High school 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.