Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Plaistow grades A− overall, 43rd of 125 graded towns in New Hampshire, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Residents are healthier than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and the median household earns $108K. It also does better than most on safety: it reports less crime per resident than 64% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $528K, 4.6 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. On hazard risk, just 9 of New Hampshire’s 187 towns do better. Plaistow’s trail density is 1.4 miles per square mile, where New Hampshire’s towns sit at 1.2 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Plaistow Carhouse is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Plaistow beats most towns.
Census counts: 521 in 1790, 7,830 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1907 and 5 maps from 1935 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Plaistow is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Plaistow. Close and well known come first.
Big draw35 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw35 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
6 mi Ancient siteAmerica's Stonehenge
31 mi LakeWalden Pond
34 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
35 mi MuseumMuseum of Fine Arts Boston477K visitors a yearFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · America's Stonehenge: User:Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Museum of Fine Arts Boston: Martin~jawiki at Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Plaistow, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 19, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Plaistow.
Plaistow sends many workers across the state line to Haverhill and gets more snow than most of the country, though not than most of New Hampshire; it also reports more crime than Hampstead and its other graded neighbors.
15 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Plaistow Town Forest, 419 acres with 9.7 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Plaistow Town Forest | 9.7 mi | 419 |
| 2. Plaistow Athletic Recreation Complex | — | 28 |
| 3. Plaistow Town Green | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Timberlane Regional School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Timberlane Regional High School, with 944 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timberlane Regional Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 723 | C |
| Timberlane Regional High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 944 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
Within New Hampshire it is healthier than 62% of the 126 graded towns: New Hampshire sets a high bar.
29% of adults feel lonely in Plaistow, close to New Hampshire’s towns (30%) and below U.S. towns (33%). 8.7% of adults have diabetes in Plaistow. Plaistow beats the New Hampshire average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Plaistow | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.7% | 9.5% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Plaistow | NH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.7% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5.3% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 75% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Plaistow since 2023.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Haverhill weather station, 6 miles away, records that 58 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 83% of New Hampshire places with climate records.
Plaistow has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83° and January nights drop to 16°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Plaistow is safe by national standards, yet each of the 4 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Hampstead (A) to Atkinson (A+).
The property crime rate in Plaistow is 14.1 per 1,000 residents. New Hampshire has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Plaistow sits closer to the middle.
| Plaistow | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.1 per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
41% of working residents cross a state line to work, Haverhill among the top destinations. Plaistow has about as many jobs (4,713) as working residents, but only 401 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Plaistow for work: only 9% work in town. 4.5% of Plaistow residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Haverhill (7%), Salem (5%) and Manchester (4%).
| Plaistow | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 4.5% | 6.8% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $108,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 14% | 16% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the New Hampshire average. 35% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 41% across New Hampshire. Plaistow’s median age is 40.1 years.
| Plaistow | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 40.1 years | 45 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 20% | 18% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 17% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 39% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.4 points. Across New Hampshire, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Plaistow | NH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13% | 9.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.8% | 8.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.3% | 8.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.6% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17.5% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.4% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14% | 15.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.5% | 12.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.9% | 7.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4% | 5.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.5% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 13.4% | 17.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.1% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.3% | 24.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.6% | 16.1% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Plaistow home is worth about $528,000, up 1.9% in a year, close to the New Hampshire typical home.
| Plaistow | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,664 a month | $1,382 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 82% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
4 within 15 miles of the center of Plaistow
About 3 of every 100 Plaistow residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.
Place in New Hampshire, United States
Plaistow (, traditionally ) is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,830 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Plaistow.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Plaistow grades A− overall, better than 77% of U.S. towns and #43 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades A for health, B for safety and B for schools.
Yes, by national standards. New Hampshire has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Plaistow sits nearer the middle.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
2 notable people were born here, including Jerome Andrews and Daniel G. George.
