Compare towns
Cornish vs Plainfield vs Windham vs Salisbury
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 the most kids (23.4% under 18).
Windham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.4%).
Salisbury has the most people working from home (23.3%).
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 | Windham | Salisbury |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 1,816 |
2,522 |
19,188Highest |
1,609Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -1.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+4% U.S.: +7.4% |
+8.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+2.9% U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 54±8.3Highest 39% above U.S. |
38.9±6.5Lowest about the U.S. average |
41.8±1.8 7% above U.S. |
51.5±4.5 32% above U.S. |
| 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 U.S.: 22% |
23.4%±5.8Highest U.S.: 22% |
19.2%±2.7 U.S.: 22% |
20.1%±9.6 U.S.: 22% |
| 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 U.S.: 17.2% |
19.8%±4.5 U.S.: 17.2% |
15.9%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
24.9%±4 U.S.: 17.2% |
| 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% U.S.: 35.7% |
46.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
44.2% U.S.: 35.7% |
37.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.8%±2.3Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
3.9%±1.1 U.S.: 6.4% |
2%±1.1 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Plainfield and Windham 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. |
$107,934±$14k 34% above U.S. |
$111,591±$17k 38% above U.S. |
| 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 11% below U.S. |
$442,400±$47kHighest 33% above U.S. |
$388,900±$22k 17% above U.S. |
$363,400±$47k 9% above U.S. |
| Plainfield and Windham 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. |
$1,232±$332 13% below U.S. |
$1,917±$632Highest 36% above U.S. |
| Salisbury and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,796 86% above U.S. |
$7,904Highest 153% above U.S. |
$3,938Lowest 26% above U.S. |
$5,859 88% 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% |
32.7%±14.7 U.S.: 51.1% |
0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Cornish and Windham 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% U.S.: 12.5% |
3.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
7.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 94.1% U.S.: 65.2% |
87.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
84.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
96.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1980 same as U.S. |
1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S. |
1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S. |
1982 2 yrs newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min 8% below U.S. |
22 minLowest 17% below U.S. |
26 min about the U.S. average |
32 minHighest 21% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 12%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
18.1%±8.5 U.S.: 15.1% |
19%±4.1 U.S.: 15.1% |
23.3%±10.6Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Salisbury and Windham 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 | #95 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | Cornish School District | Plainfield School District | RSU 14 | Merrimack Valley School District |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | Windham High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 12.1 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet | None yet |
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.