What stands out worked out from the figures below

Plainfield has the most kids (23.4% under 18).

Waterville Valley has the oldest population (median age 61.6).

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	Waterville Valley
People
Population	2,522Highest	290Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4% NH: +4.6%	—
Median age	38.9±6.5Lowest 10% below NH	61.6±16.5Highest 42% above NH
	Waterville Valley 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%	8.6%±11.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Plainfield and Waterville Valley 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%	43.1%±9.7Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%	71.6%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.3Highest NH: 6%	0.3%±4.3Lowest NH: 6%
	Plainfield and Waterville Valley 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	$105,625±$50kLowest 7% above NH
	Plainfield and Waterville Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$442,400±$47kLowest 10% above NH	$562,500±$193kHighest 40% above NH
	Waterville Valley and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,674±$181Highest 12% above NH	$1,150±$382Lowest 23% below NH
	Plainfield and Waterville Valley 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	$5,745Lowest 14% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.8%±23.1Lowest NH: 48.2%	33.3%±100Highest NH: 48.2%
	Waterville Valley 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%	6.9%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	81.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minHighest 18% below NH	14 minLowest 48% below NH
Work from home	18.1%±8.5Lowest NH: 16.8%	19.7%±12.6Highest NH: 16.8%
	Waterville Valley and Plainfield 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	Waterville Valley 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.