What stands out worked out from the figures below

Carroll has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.5%).

Plainfield has the most people working from home (18.1%).

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	Carroll	Plainfield
People
Population	659Lowest	2,522Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.5%Highest NH: +4.6%	+4%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	62.4±4.8Highest 44% above NH	38.9±6.5Lowest 10% below NH
Kids under 18	7%±4.5Lowest NH: 18.2%	23.4%±5.8Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	39.5%±4.4Highest NH: 20.1%	19.8%±4.5Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%	46.7%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±1.2Lowest NH: 6%	4.8%±2.3Highest NH: 6%
	Plainfield and Carroll are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,821±$26kLowest 35% below NH	$122,656±$13kHighest 24% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$261,500±$42kLowest 35% below NH	$442,400±$47kHighest 10% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,078±$241Lowest 28% below NH	$1,674±$181Highest 12% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,356Lowest 50% below NH	$7,904Highest 19% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	28%±47.5Lowest NH: 48.2%	31.8%±23.1Highest NH: 48.2%
	Plainfield and Carroll are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.5%Highest NH: 7.2%	5.2%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.6%Highest NH: 72.8%	87.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 19% below NH	22 minHighest 18% below NH
Work from home	4.6%±3.2Lowest NH: 16.8%	18.1%±8.5Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#19 of 120 in NH
School district	—	Plainfield School District
High school 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.