What stands out worked out from the figures below

Townsend has the highest household income ($122k).

Plaistow has the most people working from home (13.6%).

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	Townsend	Plaistow
People
Population	9,100Highest	7,861Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.9±3.3Highest 5% above U.S.	40.1±3.7Lowest 3% above U.S.
	Townsend and Plaistow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%	19.8%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Townsend and Plaistow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.4%±3.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Plaistow and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	34.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.3%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Townsend and Plaistow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$121,528±$23kHighest 51% above U.S.	$108,317±$13kLowest 34% above U.S.
	Townsend and Plaistow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$433,200±$22kHighest 30% above U.S.	$404,500±$32kLowest 22% above U.S.
	Townsend and Plaistow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,469±$313Lowest 4% above U.S.	$1,664±$187Highest 18% above U.S.
	Plaistow and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,031Lowest 93% above U.S.	$7,194Highest 131% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.6%±16.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.3%±16.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Plaistow and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	78.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.	29 minLowest 8% above U.S.
Work from home	10.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13.6%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Plaistow and Townsend 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	#136 of 282 in MA	#66 of 120 in NH
School district	North Middlesex	Timberlane Regional School District
High school in town	North Middlesex Regional	Timberlane Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Highest	11.4Lowest
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.