What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sheffield has the most affordable homes ($409k median).

Salisbury has the most people working from home (28%).

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	Sheffield	Salisbury
People
Population	3,330Lowest	4,224Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.1% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	48.2±8Highest 24% above U.S.	44.2±9.9Lowest 14% above U.S.
	Sheffield and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.3%±4Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.2%±6.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Salisbury and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.2%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	28.1%±5.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Salisbury and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	58.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±4.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.9%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sheffield and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,120±$31kLowest 14% above U.S.	$124,256±$26kHighest 54% above U.S.
	Salisbury and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$409,400±$32kLowest 23% above U.S.	$763,700±$121kHighest 130% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,837±$1kLowest 30% above U.S.	$1,846±$736Highest 31% above U.S.
	Salisbury and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,520Lowest 45% above U.S.	$5,125Highest 64% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.2%±21.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	23.2%±11.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Sheffield and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	68.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minHighest 22% below U.S.	20 minLowest 25% below U.S.
Work from home	8.5%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	28%±8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#250 of 282 in MA	#19 of 149 in CT
School district	Southern Berkshire	Salisbury School District
High school in town	Mt Everett Regional	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	7.8	—
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.