What stands out worked out from the figures below

Washington has the most expensive homes ($660k median).

Salem has the most affordable homes ($404k 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	Washington	Salem
People
Population	3,676Lowest	4,282Highest
Median age	49.9±5.5Highest 21% above CT	40.9±5.4Lowest about the CT average
	Washington and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±4.7Lowest CT: 20.2%	23.2%±5.1Highest CT: 20.2%
	Salem and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.9%±5.3Highest CT: 18.5%	19.7%±4.7Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Washington and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	53.7%Highest CT: 42.5%	50.6%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.4%±3.3Highest CT: 7.1%	5.8%±3.3Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Washington and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$101,549±$16kLowest 6% above CT	$123,245±$8kHighest 29% above CT
	Salem and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$660,200±$130kHighest 80% above CT	$403,600±$33kLowest 10% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$264Lowest 19% below CT	$1,440±$150Highest 3% below CT
	Salem and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,709Lowest 29% below CT	$6,668Highest about the CT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26.1%±24Lowest CT: 52.6%	32.1%±26Highest CT: 52.6%
	Salem and Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9%Highest CT: 10%	6.2%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79%Lowest CT: 66.5%	86.6%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 4 yrs newer than CT	1988Highest 21 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 4% below CT	32 minHighest 19% above CT
Work from home	20.1%±9Highest CT: 16%	18%±9.6Lowest CT: 16%
	Washington and Salem 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	#17 of 149 in CT	#11 of 149 in CT
School district	Regional School District 12	Salem School District
High school in town	Shepaug Valley School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.1	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

CT 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.