What stands out worked out from the figures below

Webster has the most affordable homes ($362k median).

Salem has the most people working from home (21.6%).

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	Webster	Salem
People
Population	17,748Lowest	44,795Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+7.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	39.9±2.9Highest about the MA average	39.3±1.5Lowest about the MA average
	Webster and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.6%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%	15.7%±1.7Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Webster and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.6%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%	17.2%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Webster and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%	47.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%	8.2%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Salem and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$72,895±$6kLowest 30% below MA	$85,153±$5kHighest 18% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$361,500±$12kLowest 36% below MA	$542,800±$18kHighest 3% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,228±$81Lowest 30% below MA	$1,836±$84Highest 4% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,999Lowest 33% below MA	$6,114Highest about the MA average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.7%±6.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	54.9%±4.8Highest MA: 51.8%
	Salem and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.7%Highest MA: 10%	12.1%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	49.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Highest 2 yrs older than MA	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 5% above MA	29 minLowest about the MA average
Work from home	8%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	21.6%±2.5Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#271 of 282 in MA	#248 of 282 in MA
School district	Webster	Salem
High school in town	Bartlett High School	Salem High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Highest	9.8Lowest
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.