What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Claremont has the most affordable homes ($205k 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	Plainfield	Claremont
People
Population	2,522Lowest	13,078Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4%Highest NH: +4.6%	-3%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	38.9±6.5Lowest 10% below NH	42.6±3.5Highest about the NH average
	Claremont and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.4%±5.8Highest NH: 18.2%	19.1%±2.8Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Plainfield and Claremont are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.8%±4.5Lowest NH: 20.1%	20.8%±3.1Highest NH: 20.1%
	Claremont and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.7%Highest NH: 40.6%	21.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.3Highest NH: 6%	2.5%±1.2Lowest NH: 6%
	Plainfield and Claremont are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$122,656±$13kHighest 24% above NH	$59,096±$8kLowest 40% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$442,400±$47kHighest 10% above NH	$204,600±$17kLowest 49% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,674±$181Highest 12% above NH	$1,146±$83Lowest 23% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,904Highest 19% above NH	$5,774Lowest 13% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.8%±23.1Lowest NH: 48.2%	63.6%±12.5Highest NH: 48.2%
	Claremont and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Lowest NH: 7.2%	13.5%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	57.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 2 yrs older than NH	1957Lowest 22 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 18% below NH	24 minHighest 9% below NH
Work from home	18.1%±8.5Highest NH: 16.8%	8.6%±2.9Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Plainfield and Claremont 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	#103 of 120 in NH
School district	Plainfield School District	Claremont School District
High school in town	None in town	Stevens High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.7
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.