What stands out worked out from the figures below

Tisbury has the most expensive homes ($994k median).

Salisbury has the most affordable 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	Tisbury	Salisbury
People
Population	4,893Lowest	9,281Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+21.9%Highest MA: +7.4%	+11.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	52.9±5.7Highest 32% above MA	51.3±3.5Lowest 28% above MA
	Tisbury and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.6%±4.1Highest MA: 19.4%	13.1%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Tisbury and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.1%±7.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	25.5%±3.5Highest MA: 17.9%
	Salisbury and Tisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%	43.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.6%±2.2Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.9%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Salisbury and Tisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,113±$5kLowest 29% below MA	$93,361±$6kHighest 10% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$993,600±$141kHighest 77% above MA	$478,700±$27kLowest 15% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$690±$683Lowest 61% below MA	$1,691±$411Highest 4% below MA
	Salisbury and Tisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,721Highest 29% above MA	$4,604Lowest 23% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	74.9%±82.4Highest MA: 51.8%	61.9%±11.5Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Tisbury and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.1%Highest MA: 10%	5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Highest MA: 62.5%	71.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest 15 yrs newer than MA	1980Highest 16 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 29% below MA	28 minHighest 5% below MA
Work from home	20.6%±10.2Highest MA: 18.6%	19.8%±5.8Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Tisbury 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	#127 of 282 in MA	#240 of 282 in MA
School district	Tisbury	Triton
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.