Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Salisbury grades B overall, 77th of 151 graded towns in Connecticut. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 92% of the country. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $921K for a typical one and 9.8 times the Torrington area’s $94K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 8 places on the National Register. 36% of working residents work locally in Salisbury, where Connecticut’s towns sit at 11% and U.S. towns at 8%. Only 2 of Connecticut’s 174 towns score higher on civic life. Its National Register listings include Lime Rock Park Race Track and Scoville Memorial Library.
Where Salisbury beats most towns.
Scoville Memorial Library| Widest gap | Salisbury | CT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.8% | 14.9% |
Census counts: 2,695 in 1820, 4,194 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1853 and 5 maps from 1892 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Salisbury takes its name from Salisbury in Wiltshire, England, 3,320 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionSalisbury, settled in 1741, takes its name from Salisbury, a large town in Wiltshire, England.
2 more U.S. towns are named after Salisbury:Salisbury Township, PA11,598Salisbury, MA9,530
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Connecticut), ordered by how far Salisbury is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Salisbury, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Salisbury.
Salisbury keeps more of its land conserved than most of Connecticut and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Connecticut; it also has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Connecticut.
At 9.8 years of the Torrington area’s $94K median household income, the typical home (about $921K) costs more against local pay than in 96% of Connecticut towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
Salisbury’s median rent is $1,846 a month. Typical home values rose 4.8% in the year to September 2026. 68% of Salisbury households own their home.
| Salisbury | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,846 a month | $1,448 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 81% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its B+ is the best School Grade on its borders; North Canaan (B−) is next.
Its public schools are run by the Salisbury School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salisbury Central SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 288 | A |
| The Hotchkiss School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 602 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within CT on state tests and graduation
Within Connecticut it is healthier than 66% of the 154 graded towns: Connecticut sets a high bar.
28% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Salisbury. Only 3 of the 154 Connecticut towns we compare have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Salisbury. 21% of adults get no exercise outside work in Salisbury.
| Salisbury | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 34% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 31% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 30% | 35% |
| What stands out | Salisbury | CT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.8% | 14.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6% | 12.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.3% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its 15,353 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 99% of Connecticut towns.
56 miles of trail in 43 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Appalachian Trail Scenic Open Space, 1,987 acres with 16.4 miles of trail. The trail density in Salisbury is 0.9 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Appalachian Trail Scenic Open Space | 16.4 mi | 1,987 |
| 2. Yoakum Preserve | 2.7 mi | 254 |
| 3. Hamlet Hill | 2.2 mi | 374 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Salisbury has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 15° and about 50 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 1,406 working residents takes 19.9 minutes, against 26.5 across Connecticut. 28% of workers work from home, against 16% across Connecticut.
Only 3 of the 155 Connecticut towns we compare have a lower average trip to work than Salisbury. The top destinations are Sharon (4%), North Canaan (4%) and New York (4%). Half commute less than 9 miles.
| Salisbury | Connecticut towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $124,000 | $109,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.2% | 5.8% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Salisbury.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Salisbury. Close and well known come first.
28 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a year
35 mi Theme parkLake Compounce
29 mi National Historic SiteVanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site295K visitors a year
21 mi MuseumNorman Rockwell Museum
26 mi TheatreTanglewood
26 mi MuseumOlana State Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Compounce: Wildcat1 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site: Daderot, Public domain · Norman Rockwell Museum: User:Rmrfstar, CC BY 2.5 · Tanglewood: Daderot., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Olana State Historic Site: Netniks, CC BY-SA 4.0
None within 15 miles of Salisbury; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Salisbury residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Connecticut.
40.2% of the town is conserved land, across 43 parks and preserves.
8 places in Salisbury on the National Register of Historic Places.
25 notable people were born in Salisbury.
Town in Connecticut, United States
Salisbury () is a town situated in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is the northwesternmost in the state of Connecticut; the Connecticut-Massachusetts-New York tri-state marker is located at the northwestern corner of the town. The population was 4,194 at the 2020 census. The town is part of the Northwest Hills Planning Region.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Salisbury.
| Town | CT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salisbury | #77 | B | D | — | B+ | A |
| Canaan | — | — | D− | — | B− | A− |
| North Canaan | #122 | C | B− | — | B− | B− |
| Falls Village | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sharon | #125 | C | D | — | C+ | A |
Canaan has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Salisbury, Canaan, North Canaan and Sharon report no FBI crime data of their own. Falls Village isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Salisbury with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Salisbury grades B overall, better than 64% of U.S. towns and #77 of 151 in Connecticut. It grades A for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
25 notable people were born here, including Richmond Landon and Peter Buell Porter.
,_Tanglewood,_Lenox,_Massachusetts.JPG){kind=link}
