Community & Data
Salisbury Demographics
A Portrait of Salisbury
Salisbury covers about 15.4 square miles of land in Essex County, roughly 600 people to the square mile, at the mouth of the Merrimack River. The numbers describe an older, heavily owner-occupied coastal town. Nearly one resident in four is 65 or older, and only about one in eight is under 18. Close to three homes in four are lived in by their owners. The median household income is $93,361 and the poverty rate is 5.0 percent. About one household in fourteen speaks a language other than English at home. Figures below are from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Follow the source links for the latest.
Key Figures
Sources: US Census Bureau (data.census.gov), American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020-2024.
Population & Households
- Population (2020 Census): 9,236
- Households: 4,148
- Persons per household: 2.2
- Foreign-born: 6.4% of residents
- Age 65 and over: 25.5%
- Under 18: 13.1%
Race & Ethnicity
- White: 85.6%
- Asian: 2.1%
- Black or African American: 1.3%
- Hispanic or Latino (any race): 6.2%
- Two or more races: 8.3%
- Speak a language other than English at home: 8.7%
Economy & Housing
- Median household income: $93,361
- Poverty rate: 5.0%
- Median home value: $478,700
- Median gross rent: $1,691
- Homeownership: 71.2% of units
- In the labor force: 63.7%
Registered Voters
Massachusetts publishes voter-registration counts by town through the Secretary of the Commonwealth. As in most of the state, Salisbury’s largest bloc by far is voters who choose no party at all, which is worth knowing before anyone tells you how this town votes.
- Total registered: 7,895
- Unenrolled (no party): 5,777 (73.17%)
- Democrats: 1,207 (15.29%)
- Republicans: 840 (10.64%)
- Political designations: 71 (0.90%)
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, Salisbury town, Essex County
- MA Secretary of the Commonwealth, Voter Registration
- MA DESE, Salisbury
- Secretary of the Commonwealth, Massachusetts Elections Calendar: August 22, 2026 was the last day to register to vote and change party enrollment for the September 1, 2026 state primary (G. L. c. 51, sections 26 and 28), which is the date this enrollment count is as of.
See how Salisbury fits into the broader Commonwealth.