What stands out worked out from the figures below

Thornton has the most people working from home (29.8%).

Salisbury has the most expensive homes ($479k 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	Thornton	Salisbury
People
Population	2,799Lowest	9,281Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	51.1±3.4Lowest 31% above U.S.	51.3±3.5Highest 32% above U.S.
	Salisbury and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.9%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%	13.1%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Thornton and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.5%±3.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Salisbury and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	43.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.9%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Salisbury and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$90,022±$17kLowest 12% above U.S.	$93,361±$6kHighest 16% above U.S.
	Salisbury and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$351,900±$20kLowest 6% above U.S.	$478,700±$27kHighest 44% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,270±$428Lowest 10% below U.S.	$1,691±$411Highest 20% above U.S.
	Salisbury and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,032Highest 61% above U.S.	$4,604Lowest 48% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±24.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	61.9%±11.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Salisbury and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	71.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.	1980Lowest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	29.8%±9.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	19.8%±5.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Thornton and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#18 of 120 in NH	#240 of 282 in MA
School district	Thornton School District	Triton
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.