Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Salisbury grades D− overall, 256th of 259 graded towns in Maryland, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its police reported 247 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 95% of U.S. towns. The median household income is $59K, and 24% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: it is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns. 24% of residents live below the poverty line in Salisbury, above both Maryland’s towns (7%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). On health, just 29 of Maryland’s 329 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include Pemberton Hall and Poplar Hill Mansion.
Where Salisbury beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Pemberton Hall
Census counts: 947 in 1850, 33,050 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 3 maps from 1901 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), 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 Mar 11, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Salisbury.
Salisbury draws workers from Fruitland and beyond and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more, but it has poverty well above the Maryland rate.
Reported crimes fell from 1,348 to 938 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Salisbury is 7.3 per 1,000 residents. Salisbury reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 95% report less. The property crime rate in Salisbury is 20.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Salisbury | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 20.5 per 1,000 residents | 13.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Wicomico County Public Schools. Three of its 14 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prince Street SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 976 | D |
| James M. Bennett HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,474 | A |
| Parkside HighTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,272 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
25,212 jobs are based in Salisbury, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 22.2 minutes, against 31.1 across Maryland.
31% of Salisbury working residents work locally. Jobs based in Salisbury grew to 25,212 in 2023, 3,046 more than in 2013. Salisbury’s average trip to work is 22 minutes.
| Salisbury | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 31% | 3.1% | 8% |
| Work from home | 4.9% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Salisbury home is worth about $263,000, up 0.8% in a year, 38% below the Maryland typical home. 27% of households own their home in Salisbury.
| Salisbury | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 27% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,318 a month | $1,810 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 54% | 51% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Salisbury beats the Maryland average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16.
| Salisbury | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 23% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 36% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 33% |
| What stands out | Salisbury | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.6% | 7.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.4% | 9.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 80% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 69 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Salisbury.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Salisbury has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 27° and about 8 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
5.1 miles of trail in 15 parks and preserves. Salisbury City Park, at 107 acres with 2.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Salisbury | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.6% | 9.5% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Salisbury City Park | 2.5 mi | 107 |
| 2. Henry S. Parker Athletic Complex | 0.9 mi | 51 |
| 3. Salisbury Zoo | 0.1 mi | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
3 within 15 miles of the center of Salisbury
About 13 of every 100 Salisbury residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Maryland.
2 colleges in town.
10 places in Salisbury on the National Register of Historic Places.
34 notable people were born in Salisbury.
City in Maryland, United States
Salisbury ( SAWLZ-bə-ree) is a city in and the county seat of Wicomico County, Maryland, United States. Salisbury is the largest city in the state's Eastern Shore region, with a population of 33,050 at the 2020 census. Salisbury is the principal city of the Salisbury, Maryland Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is a commercial hub of the Delmarva Peninsula.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Salisbury.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Salisbury grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #256 of 259 in Maryland. It grades C− for health, D for safety and C− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 3.6 years of the area's median household income ($73,802 across the Salisbury, MD metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
34 notable people were born here, including Linda Hamilton and Alexis Denisof.
