What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dorchester has the most affordable homes ($140k median).

Plainfield has the most expensive homes ($442k median).

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	Dorchester	Plainfield
People
Population	410Lowest	2,522Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4% NH: +4.6%
Median age	56±10.5Highest 29% above NH	38.9±6.5Lowest 10% below NH
Kids under 18	11.2%±4.4Lowest NH: 18.2%	23.4%±5.8Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	39.8%±15.5Highest NH: 20.1%	19.8%±4.5Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Dorchester and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.8%Lowest NH: 40.6%	46.7%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.5%±3.1Lowest NH: 6%	4.8%±2.3Highest NH: 6%
	Plainfield and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	—	$122,656±$13k 24% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$139,600±$133kLowest 65% below NH	$442,400±$47kHighest 10% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,674±$181 12% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,779Lowest 43% below NH	$7,904Highest 19% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%	31.8%±23.1Highest NH: 48.2%
	Plainfield and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.6%Highest NH: 7.2%	5.2%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	87.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 6 yrs older than NH	1977Highest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	40 minHighest 50% above NH	22 minLowest 18% below NH
Work from home	12.2%±8.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	18.1%±8.5Highest NH: 16.8%
	Plainfield and Dorchester 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	—	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.