What stands out worked out from the figures below

West Brookfield has the most affordable homes ($354k median).

Salisbury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.5%).

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	West Brookfield	Salisbury
People
Population	3,859Lowest	9,281Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+11.5%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	58.5±3.2Highest 46% above MA	51.3±3.5Lowest 28% above MA
Kids under 18	13%±3.8Lowest MA: 19.4%	13.1%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Salisbury and West Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	35.9%±6.1Highest MA: 17.9%	25.5%±3.5Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34%Lowest MA: 47.3%	43.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.2%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.9%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$95,613±$12kHighest 8% below MA	$93,361±$6kLowest 10% below MA
	West Brookfield and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$354,000±$21kLowest 37% below MA	$478,700±$27kHighest 15% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,236±$271Lowest 30% below MA	$1,691±$411Highest 4% below MA
	Salisbury and West Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,260Lowest 29% below MA	$4,604Highest 23% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	30.3%±18.8Lowest MA: 51.8%	61.9%±11.5Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	8.5%Highest MA: 10%	5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	71.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 3 yrs newer than MA	1980Highest 16 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	42 minHighest 44% above MA	28 minLowest 5% below MA
Work from home	18.9%±15Lowest MA: 18.6%	19.8%±5.8Highest MA: 18.6%
	Salisbury and West Brookfield 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	#162 of 282 in MA	#240 of 282 in MA
School district	Quaboag Regional	Triton
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.