What stands out worked out from the figures below

Plaistow has the most affordable homes ($405k median).

Reading has the most people working from home (30.2%).

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	Plaistow	Reading
People
Population	7,861Lowest	25,612Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.1±3.7Lowest 3% above U.S.	43.7±2.3Highest 12% above U.S.
	Reading and Plaistow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.8%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.8%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Reading and Plaistow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.4%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Reading and Plaistow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	66.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.9%±0.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Plaistow and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$108,317±$13kLowest 34% above U.S.	$165,912±$13kHighest 106% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$404,500±$32kLowest 22% above U.S.	$809,000±$22kHighest 143% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,664±$187Lowest 18% above U.S.	$1,991±$273Highest 41% above U.S.
	Reading and Plaistow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,194Lowest 131% above U.S.	$9,320Highest 199% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.3%±16.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	27.8%±9.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	4.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1960Lowest 20 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 8% above U.S.	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	13.6%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	30.2%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#66 of 120 in NH	#50 of 282 in MA
School district	Timberlane Regional School District	Reading
High school in town	Timberlane Regional High School	Reading Memorial High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Lowest	12.1Highest
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.