Compare towns
Cornish vs Plainfield vs Madbury
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 oldest population (median age 54).
Plainfield has the most people working from home (18.1%).
Madbury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.3%).
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 | Plainfield | Madbury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,816Lowest |
2,522Highest |
2,203 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6% |
+4% NH: +4.6% |
+8.3%Highest NH: +4.6% |
| Median age | 54±8.3Highest 25% above NH |
38.9±6.5 10% below NH |
37.7±2.1Lowest 13% below NH |
| Kids under 18 | 14.4%±3.2Lowest NH: 18.2% |
23.4%±5.8 NH: 18.2% |
29%±5.9Highest NH: 18.2% |
| Madbury and Plainfield 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% |
19.8%±4.5 NH: 20.1% |
14.3%±2.6Lowest NH: 20.1% |
| Cornish and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 40.6%Lowest NH: 40.6% |
46.7% NH: 40.6% |
52.6%Highest NH: 40.6% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.4%±0.9Lowest NH: 6% |
4.8%±2.3Highest NH: 6% |
3.4%±1.8 NH: 6% |
| Plainfield and Madbury 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 |
$122,656±$13k 24% above NH |
$148,365±$30kHighest 50% above NH |
| Madbury and Plainfield 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 |
$442,400±$47k 10% above NH |
$476,900±$31kHighest 18% above NH |
| Madbury and Plainfield 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 |
$1,674±$181Highest 12% above NH |
$1,574±$759 6% above NH |
| Plainfield and Madbury 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 |
$7,904 19% above NH |
$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 40.5%±38.1Highest NH: 48.2% |
31.8%±23.1 NH: 48.2% |
16.7%±15.2Lowest NH: 48.2% |
| Cornish and Plainfield 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% |
5.2%Highest NH: 7.2% |
4.9% NH: 7.2% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 94.1%Highest NH: 72.8% |
87.3% NH: 72.8% |
82.9%Lowest NH: 72.8% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1980 1 yr newer than NH |
1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH |
1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min 9% below NH |
22 minLowest 18% below NH |
25 minHighest 5% below NH |
| Work from home | 12%±4.1Lowest NH: 16.8% |
18.1%±8.5Highest NH: 16.8% |
14%±3.6 NH: 16.8% |
| Plainfield and Madbury 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 | — | #19 of 120 in NH | — |
| School district | Cornish School District | Plainfield School District | Oyster River Coop School District |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | None in town |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.