What stands out worked out from the figures below

Springfield has the most affordable homes ($192k median).

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

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	Springfield	Plaistow
People
Population	9,084Highest	7,861Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.2±3.7Highest 11% above U.S.	40.1±3.7Lowest 3% above U.S.
	Springfield and Plaistow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.8%±4.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Plaistow and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.6%±3.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.4%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Springfield and Plaistow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	34.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.3%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Plaistow and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,571±$13kLowest 18% below U.S.	$108,317±$13kHighest 34% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$192,400±$20kLowest 42% below U.S.	$404,500±$32kHighest 22% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$963±$100Lowest 32% below U.S.	$1,664±$187Highest 18% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,807Lowest 54% above U.S.	$7,194Highest 131% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.6%±15.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.3%±16.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Plaistow and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	78.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Lowest 22 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 3% above U.S.	29 minHighest 8% above U.S.
Work from home	15.1%±5.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.6%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Springfield 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	#64 of 70 in VT	#66 of 120 in NH
School district	River Valley Technical Center · Springfield School District	Timberlane Regional School District
High school in town	Springfield High School	Timberlane Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	11.4Lowest
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.