Compare towns
Cornish vs Plainfield vs Westford
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Cornish has the most affordable homes ($296k median).
Plainfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4%).
Westford has the most people working from home (19.1%).
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.
| Measure | Cornish | Plainfield | Westford |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,816Lowest |
2,522Highest |
2,290 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -1.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+4%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+1.6% U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 54±8.3Highest 39% above U.S. |
38.9±6.5Lowest about the U.S. average |
44.1±8.6 13% above U.S. |
| Cornish and Westford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.4%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22% |
23.4%±5.8Highest U.S.: 22% |
16.9%±4.6 U.S.: 22% |
| Plainfield and Westford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 27.3%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
19.8%±4.5 U.S.: 17.2% |
17.2%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| 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 U.S.: 35.7% |
46.7% U.S.: 35.7% |
52.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.8%±2.3 U.S.: 6.4% |
9.5%±4.6Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Westford 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 14% above U.S. |
$122,656±$13kHighest 52% above U.S. |
$112,750±$12k 40% above U.S. |
| Plainfield and Westford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $296,000±$69kLowest 11% below U.S. |
$442,400±$47kHighest 33% above U.S. |
$424,500±$21k 28% above U.S. |
| Plainfield and Westford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,221±$227Lowest 14% below U.S. |
$1,674±$181 18% above U.S. |
$2,375±$1kHighest 68% above U.S. |
| Westford and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,796Lowest 86% above U.S. |
$7,904Highest 153% above U.S. |
$6,282 101% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 40.5%±38.1Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
31.8%±23.1 U.S.: 51.1% |
29.8%±31Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| 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% U.S.: 12.5% |
5.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
2.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 94.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
87.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
86.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1980 same as U.S. |
1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S. |
1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min 8% below U.S. |
22 minLowest 17% below U.S. |
33 minHighest 26% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 12%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
18.1%±8.5 U.S.: 15.1% |
19.1%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Westford and Plainfield 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 | Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union SD #51 |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | None in town |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | 6 photos → |
U.S. 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.