Compare towns
Cornish vs Dover vs Salisbury vs Plainfield
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against New Hampshire.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Cornish has the most affordable homes ($296k median).
Dover has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.2%).
Salisbury has the most people working from home (23.3%).
Plainfield has the most kids (23.4% under 18).
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.
| Measure | Cornish | Dover | Salisbury | Plainfield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 1,816 |
33,364Highest |
1,609Lowest |
2,522 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6% |
+9.2%Highest NH: +4.6% |
+2.9% NH: +4.6% |
+4% NH: +4.6% |
| Median age | 54±8.3Highest 25% above NH |
36.9±1.9Lowest 15% below NH |
51.5±4.5 19% above NH |
38.9±6.5 10% below NH |
| Cornish and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 14.4%±3.2Lowest NH: 18.2% |
16.9%±1.8 NH: 18.2% |
20.1%±9.6 NH: 18.2% |
23.4%±5.8Highest NH: 18.2% |
| Plainfield and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 27.3%±4.1Highest NH: 20.1% |
16.8%±1.8Lowest NH: 20.1% |
24.9%±4 NH: 20.1% |
19.8%±4.5 NH: 20.1% |
| Cornish and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 40.6% NH: 40.6% |
52%Highest NH: 40.6% |
37.3%Lowest NH: 40.6% |
46.7% NH: 40.6% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.4%±0.9Lowest NH: 6% |
6.2%±1.2Highest NH: 6% |
2%±1.1 NH: 6% |
4.8%±2.3 NH: 6% |
| Dover and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $91,821±$2kLowest 7% below NH |
$94,829±$7k 4% below NH |
$111,591±$17k 13% above NH |
$122,656±$13kHighest 24% above NH |
| Plainfield and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $296,000±$69kLowest 26% below NH |
$436,700±$20k 8% above NH |
$363,400±$47k 10% below NH |
$442,400±$47kHighest 10% above NH |
| Plainfield and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,221±$227Lowest 18% below NH |
$1,607±$100 8% above NH |
$1,917±$632Highest 29% above NH |
$1,674±$181 12% above NH |
| Salisbury and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,796Lowest 13% below NH |
$8,249Highest 24% above NH |
$5,859 12% below NH |
$7,904 19% above NH |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 40.5%±38.1 NH: 48.2% |
48.6%±6.3Highest NH: 48.2% |
0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2% |
31.8%±23.1 NH: 48.2% |
| Dover and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 4.7%Lowest NH: 7.2% |
8.3%Highest NH: 7.2% |
7.1% NH: 7.2% |
5.2% NH: 7.2% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 94.1% NH: 72.8% |
52.7%Lowest NH: 72.8% |
96.9%Highest NH: 72.8% |
87.3% NH: 72.8% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1980 1 yr newer than NH |
1976Lowest 3 yrs older than NH |
1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH |
1977 2 yrs older than NH |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min 9% below NH |
23 min 15% below NH |
32 minHighest 20% above NH |
22 minLowest 18% below NH |
| Work from home | 12%±4.1Lowest NH: 16.8% |
18.6%±2.5 NH: 16.8% |
23.3%±10.6Highest NH: 16.8% |
18.1%±8.5 NH: 16.8% |
| Salisbury and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Schools | ||||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #64 of 120 in NH | — | #19 of 120 in NH |
| School district | Cornish School District | Dover School District | Merrimack Valley School District | Plainfield School District |
| High school in town | None in town | Dover Senior High School | None in town | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.7 |
— | — |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | None yet | 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.