What stands out worked out from the figures below

Marlow has the oldest population (median age 52.8).

Plainfield has the most people working from home (18.1%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Marlow	Plainfield
People
Population	855Lowest	2,522Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	52.8±11.7Highest 22% above NH	38.9±6.5Lowest 10% below NH
	Marlow and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±6.3Lowest NH: 18.2%	23.4%±5.8Highest NH: 18.2%
	Plainfield and Marlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.5%±5.7Highest NH: 20.1%	19.8%±4.5Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.4%Lowest NH: 40.6%	46.7%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±2.2Lowest NH: 6%	4.8%±2.3Highest NH: 6%
	Plainfield and Marlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,455±$12kLowest 12% above NH	$122,656±$13kHighest 24% above NH
	Plainfield and Marlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$325,400±$49kLowest 19% below NH	$442,400±$47kHighest 10% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,154±$160Lowest 23% below NH	$1,674±$181Highest 12% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,826Lowest 13% below NH	$7,904Highest 19% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	18.2%±95.1Lowest NH: 48.2%	31.8%±23.1Highest NH: 48.2%
	Plainfield and Marlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest NH: 7.2%	5.2%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.6%Highest NH: 72.8%	87.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 2 yrs newer than NH	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 31% above NH	22 minLowest 18% below NH
Work from home	0.8%±1.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	18.1%±8.5Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#19 of 120 in NH
School district	Marlow 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.