Plaistow, NH

The affordability dashboard for Plaistow, NH aggregates Census ACS 5-Year Estimates across 1 ZIP code covering 7,609 residents, then layers in county-level federal data to produce an overall grade of C+ (60/100). The headline inputs are median household income of $108,317, median home value of $404,500, median rent of $1,664 per month, and 34.9% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. These four metrics alone explain most of the variance between city dashboards.

Cross-agency feeds widen the picture beyond Census demographics. HUD publishes a Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in this county at $2,270 per month (studio $1,565, 1BR $1,730, 3BR $2,722, 4BR $3,006). Department of Labor data lists infant center-based childcare at $15,999 per year, consuming 15% of the local median household income.

Reading the overall grade requires reading all seven dimensions together. The score weights Income 20%, Safety 20%, Housing 15%, Rent 15%, Education 10%, Commute 10%, and Childcare 10%, with each sub-score benchmarked against national percentiles rather than state averages — so the grade is genuinely comparable across any city in the country. Strengths visible in the raw data for Plaistow, NH include income. Pressure points are commute. Unemployment currently reads 4.4% and poverty 4.5% — numbers worth keeping alongside the headline grade.