What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Sutton has the most people working from home (22.7%).

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	Sutton
People
Population	7,861Lowest	9,452Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.1±3.7Lowest 3% above U.S.	44.3±2.5Highest 14% above U.S.
	Sutton 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%	19.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Plaistow and Sutton 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%	18.8%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sutton 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%	52.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sutton 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±$13kLowest 34% above U.S.	$147,125±$25kHighest 82% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$404,500±$32kLowest 22% above U.S.	$523,100±$47kHighest 57% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,664±$187Highest 18% above U.S.	$1,190±$401Lowest 16% below U.S.
	Plaistow and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,194Highest 131% above U.S.	$6,763Lowest 117% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.3%±16.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	47.5%±24.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Plaistow and Sutton 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%	5.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	89.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 8% above U.S.	30 minHighest 12% above U.S.
Work from home	13.6%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.7%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#66 of 120 in NH	#105 of 282 in MA
School district	Timberlane Regional School District	Sutton
High school in town	Timberlane Regional High School	Sutton High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Lowest	12.6Highest
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.