What stands out worked out from the figures below

Plainfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.6%).

Meredith has the most affordable homes ($231k 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	Meredith
People
Population	1,314Lowest	1,467Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.1±5.5Lowest 24% above U.S.	54.3±4.6Highest 40% above U.S.
	Meredith and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.3%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	17%±4.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Meredith and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.1%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	30.8%±4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	33.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Plainfield and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,250±$31kLowest 14% below U.S.	$85,938±$16kHighest 6% above U.S.
	Meredith and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$318,400±$34kHighest 4% below U.S.	$230,600±$24kLowest 31% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,153±$103Highest 18% below U.S.	$794±$175Lowest 44% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,806Highest 54% above U.S.	$3,630Lowest 16% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	73.2%±53.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	53.1%±53.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Plainfield and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	92.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.	33 minHighest 23% above U.S.
Work from home	16.4%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.1%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Plainfield and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.