What stands out worked out from the figures below

Marlborough has the most affordable homes ($267k median).

Plainfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4%).

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	Marlborough	Plainfield
People
Population	2,207Lowest	2,522Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46±9.2Highest 6% above NH	38.9±6.5Lowest 10% below NH
	Marlborough and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.5%±5.7Highest NH: 18.2%	23.4%±5.8Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Marlborough and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.7%±1.7Highest NH: 20.1%	19.8%±4.5Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Marlborough and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%	46.7%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.5%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%	4.8%±2.3Highest NH: 6%
	Plainfield and Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,032±$9kLowest 30% below NH	$122,656±$13kHighest 24% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$267,200±$35kLowest 34% below NH	$442,400±$47kHighest 10% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$323Lowest 24% below NH	$1,674±$181Highest 12% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,362Lowest 5% below NH	$7,904Highest 19% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.4%±25.3Highest NH: 48.2%	31.8%±23.1Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Marlborough and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.2%Highest NH: 7.2%	5.2%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	87.3%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 3 yrs older than NH	1977Highest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 21% below NH	22 minHighest 18% below NH
Work from home	12.3%±6.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	18.1%±8.5Highest NH: 16.8%
	Plainfield and Marlborough 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	Marlborough School District	Plainfield School District
High school in town	None 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.