What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lancaster has the most affordable homes ($216k 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	Lancaster
People
Population	2,522Lowest	3,216Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4%Highest NH: +4.6%	-8.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	38.9±6.5Lowest 10% below NH	45.5±6.9Highest 5% above NH
	Lancaster 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%	20.9%±6.1Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Plainfield and Lancaster 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%	28.4%±5.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Lancaster 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%	30.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.3Highest NH: 6%	2.9%±2.2Lowest NH: 6%
	Plainfield and Lancaster 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	$68,911±$23kLowest 30% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$442,400±$47kHighest 10% above NH	$215,700±$24kLowest 46% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,674±$181Highest 12% above NH	$1,019±$263Lowest 32% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,904Highest 19% above NH	$4,226Lowest 37% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.8%±23.1Lowest NH: 48.2%	36.1%±17Highest NH: 48.2%
	Lancaster 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%	16.7%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	75.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 2 yrs older than NH	1942Lowest 37 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 18% below NH	23 minHighest 14% below NH
Work from home	18.1%±8.5Highest NH: 16.8%	11.5%±6.3Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Plainfield and Lancaster 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	#107 of 120 in NH
School district	Plainfield School District	White Mountains 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.