What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Newport has the most affordable homes ($226k 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	Newport
People
Population	2,522Lowest	6,375Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4%Highest NH: +4.6%	-3.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	38.9±6.5Lowest 10% below NH	46.9±5.2Highest 8% above NH
	Newport 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%	13.3%±4.1Lowest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	19.8%±4.5Lowest NH: 20.1%	24%±4.6Highest NH: 20.1%
	Newport 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%	28.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.3Highest NH: 6%	2.4%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Plainfield and Newport 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	$80,341±$12kLowest 19% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$442,400±$47kHighest 10% above NH	$225,900±$17kLowest 44% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,674±$181Highest 12% above NH	$1,365±$305Lowest 8% below NH
	Plainfield and Newport 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	$5,649Lowest 15% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.8%±23.1Lowest NH: 48.2%	40%±15.5Highest NH: 48.2%
	Newport 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%	11.8%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	66.9%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 2 yrs older than NH	1964Lowest 15 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 18% below NH	24 minHighest 11% below NH
Work from home	18.1%±8.5Highest NH: 16.8%	9.6%±4.1Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Plainfield and Newport 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	#119 of 120 in NH
School district	Plainfield School District	Newport School District
High school in town	None in town	Newport Middle High School (High)
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.8
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.