What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Gilsum has the most affordable homes ($242k 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	Gilsum
People
Population	2,522Highest	716Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4%Highest NH: +4.6%	-7.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	38.9±6.5Lowest 10% below NH	44.8±8.1Highest 3% above NH
	Gilsum 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%	12%±3.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	19.8%±4.5Highest NH: 20.1%	19.3%±1.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Plainfield and Gilsum 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%	18.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.3Highest NH: 6%	3.1%±2.3Lowest NH: 6%
	Plainfield and Gilsum 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	$80,417±$7kLowest 19% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$442,400±$47kHighest 10% above NH	$241,500±$32kLowest 40% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,674±$181Highest 12% above NH	$1,575±$894Lowest 6% above NH
	Plainfield and Gilsum are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,904Highest 19% above NH	$5,579Lowest 16% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.8%±23.1Lowest NH: 48.2%	76.5%±55.4Highest NH: 48.2%
	Gilsum 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%	13.4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%	93.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 2 yrs older than NH	1972Lowest 7 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 18% below NH	27 minHighest about the NH average
Work from home	18.1%±8.5Highest NH: 16.8%	11.9%±8.7Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Plainfield and Gilsum 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	Monadnock Regional 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.