What stands out worked out from the figures below

Plaistow has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.9%).

Royalton has the most affordable homes ($263k 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	Plaistow	Royalton
People
Population	7,861Highest	2,752Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.1±3.7Lowest 3% above U.S.	43.9±10.1Highest 13% above U.S.
	Royalton and Plaistow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.8%±4.3Highest U.S.: 22%	14.4%±5.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Plaistow and Royalton 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%	22.1%±6.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Royalton 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%	42.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8%±4.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Royalton and Plaistow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$108,317±$13kHighest 34% above U.S.	$103,938±$24kLowest 29% above U.S.
	Plaistow and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$404,500±$32kHighest 22% above U.S.	$263,200±$73kLowest 21% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,664±$187Highest 18% above U.S.	$1,040±$391Lowest 26% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,194Highest 131% above U.S.	$4,675Lowest 50% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.3%±16.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	36.7%±16.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Plaistow and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	63.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 8% above U.S.	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.
Work from home	13.6%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.8%±7.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Royalton and Plaistow 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	#66 of 120 in NH	#48 of 70 in VT
School district	Timberlane Regional School District	White River Unified School District #79
High school in town	Timberlane Regional High School	White River Valley High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Highest	8.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.