What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Troy has the most affordable homes ($233k 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	Troy
People
Population	1,609Lowest	1,749Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	51.5±4.5Highest 32% above U.S.	44.5±5.7Lowest 14% above U.S.
	Salisbury and Troy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.1%±9.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.4%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Troy 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%	17.7%±3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	2.7%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Troy 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.	$87,938±$11kLowest 9% above U.S.
	Salisbury and Troy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$363,400±$47kHighest 9% above U.S.	$233,200±$21kLowest 30% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,917±$632Highest 36% above U.S.	$646±$323Lowest 54% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,859Highest 88% above U.S.	$3,644Lowest 17% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	30.8%±26.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Troy 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%	8.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	86.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1980Lowest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 21% above U.S.	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.
Work from home	23.3%±10.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.8%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	Merrimack Valley School District	Troy School District
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.