What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Plaistow has the most affordable homes ($405k 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	Sutton	Plaistow
People
Population	9,452Highest	7,861Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.3±2.5Highest 14% above U.S.	40.1±3.7Lowest 3% 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	19.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.8%±4.3Highest 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+	18.8%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.4%±3.7Lowest 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+	52.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	34.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.3%±1.4Lowest 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	$147,125±$25kHighest 82% above U.S.	$108,317±$13kLowest 34% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$523,100±$47kHighest 57% above U.S.	$404,500±$32kLowest 22% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,190±$401Lowest 16% below U.S.	$1,664±$187Highest 18% above 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	$6,763Lowest 117% above U.S.	$7,194Highest 131% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.5%±24.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.3%±16.9Highest 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	5.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	78.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1978Lowest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 12% above U.S.	29 minLowest 8% above U.S.
Work from home	22.7%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.6%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#105 of 282 in MA	#66 of 120 in NH
School district	Sutton	Timberlane Regional School District
High school in town	Sutton High School	Timberlane Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.6Highest	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.