What stands out worked out from the figures below

Winchester has the most affordable homes ($243k median).

Salisbury has the most people working from home (23.3%).

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	Winchester	Salisbury
People
Population	4,212Highest	1,609Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.4%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+2.9%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.6±4.5Lowest about the NH average	51.5±4.5Highest 19% above NH
	Salisbury and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.9%±4.7Lowest NH: 18.2%	20.1%±9.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Salisbury and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.9%±3.9Lowest NH: 20.1%	24.9%±4Highest NH: 20.1%
	Salisbury and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	37.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.8Highest NH: 6%	2%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Winchester and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,723±$11kLowest 32% below NH	$111,591±$17kHighest 13% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$242,900±$20kLowest 40% below NH	$363,400±$47kHighest 10% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,209±$143Lowest 19% below NH	$1,917±$632Highest 29% above NH
	Salisbury and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,314Lowest 20% below NH	$5,859Highest 12% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45%±17.7Highest NH: 48.2%	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Winchester and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.1%Highest NH: 7.2%	7.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	96.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 7% above NH	32 minHighest 20% above NH
Work from home	4.3%±2.4Lowest NH: 16.8%	23.3%±10.6Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#120 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Winchester School District	Merrimack Valley School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH 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.