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By Geography >> City/Town >> Plainfield

 Plainfield, NH   
NH cities/towns
Community Contact Town of Plainfield
Steve Halleran, Town Administrator
PO Box 380
  Meriden, NH 03770
 
Telephone (603) 469-3201
Fax (603) 469-3642
E-mail plainfield.ta@plainfieldnh.org
Web Site www.plainfieldnh.org
 
Municipal Office Hours Town Administrator, Town Clerk: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, 8-4, Wednesday, 8-6, Friday, 7-12; Tax Collector: Monday, 8-4, Wednesday, 2-6
 
County Sullivan County
Labor Market Area Lebanon, NH-VT Micropolitan NECTA, NH portion
Tourism Region Dartmouth-Sunapee Region
Planning Commission Upper Valley/Lake Sunapee Region
Regional Development Capital Regional Development Council
 
Election Districts
US Congress District 2
Executive Council District 2
State Senate District 5
State Representative Sullivan County Districts 2, 7
Incorporated: 1761
 
Origin: Settled by a group from Plainfield, Connecticut, Plainfield is one of the towns chartered by Governor Benning Wentworth in 1761 at the beginning of the reign of King George III. A part of Plainfield with a portion of Grantham was separated into Meriden Parish in 1780. Meriden became the site of Kimball Union Academy, established in 1813. Daniel Kimball donated a large collection of books to the town for a library in 1797, along with $6,000 for a school, to which his widow added $40,000. The entire Meriden Parish was annexed to Plainfield in 1856.
 
Villages and Place Names: East Plainfield, Hell Hollow, Meriden, Mill Village, Coryville, Plainfield Village
 
Population, Year of the First Census Taken: 1024 residents in 1790
 
Population Trends: Population change for Plainfield totaled 1,107 over 50 years, from 1,323 in 1970 to 2,430 in 2020. The largest decennial percent change was a 32 percent increase from 1970 to 1980. The town's population increased by three percent from 2010 to 2020.
 
Population Density and Land Area: 2023 (US Census Bureau): 48.7 persons per square mile of land area. Plainfield contains 52.2 square miles of land area and 0.8 square miles of inland water area.
 
 
 


Municipal Services
Type of Government Selectmen
Budget:Municipal Appropriations,2021 $2,630,252
Budget:School Appropriations,2021-2022 $7,394,647
Zoning Ordinance 1959/16
Master Plan 2013
Capital Improvement Plan Yes
Industrial Plans Reviewed By Planning Board
 
Boards and Commissions
    Elected: Selectmen; Library
    Appointed: Planning; Zoning; Conservation
 
Public Library Meriden; Philip Read Memorial



Emergency Services
Police Department Full-time
Fire Department Volunteer
Emergency Medical Service Volunteer
 
Nearest Hospital(s) Distance Staffed Beds
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Med Ctr, Lebanon 13 miles   419
Alice Peck Day Memorial, Lebanon 10 miles   23


 
Utilities
Electric Supplier Eversource Energy; Granite State; NH Electric Coop
Natural Gas Supplier None
Water Supplier Plainfield/Meriden Village District
 
Sanitation Private septic
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Yes
Solid Waste Disposal
    Curbside Trash Pickup Municipal
    Pay-As-You-Throw Program Yes
    Recycling Program Voluntary
 
Telephone Company Consolidated Communications
Cellular Telephone Access Yes
Cable Television Access Yes
Public Access Television Station No
High Speed Internet Service: Business Yes
High Speed Internet Service: Resident Yes
 


Property Taxes (NH Dept. of Revenue Administration)
2023 Total Tax Rate $15.75
2023 Equalization Ratio 101.7
2023 Full Value Tax Rate (per $1000 of value) $15.90
 
2023 Percent of Local Assessed Valuation by Property Type
    Residential Land and Buildings 76.9%
    Commercial Land and Buildings 20.7%
    Public Utilities, Current Use, and Other 2.4%

 
Housing (ACS 2018-2022)
Total Housing Units 1,043
 
Single-Family Units,Detached or Attached 910
 
Units in Multiple-Family Structures:
    Two to Four Units in Structure 56
    Five or More Units in Structure 21
Mobile Homes and Other Housing Units 56




Population(1-Year Estimates/Decennial) (US Census Bureau)
Total Population Community County
   2023 2,542   43,969
   2020 2,430   43,063
   2010 2,364   43,742
   2000 2,236   40,458
   1990 2,059   38,592
   1980 1,749   36,063

 
Demographics American Community Survey (ACS 2018-2022)
Population by Gender
Male   1,180 Female   1,298
Population by Age Group
      Under Age 5 229
      Age 5 to 19 368
      Age 20 to 34 493
      Age 35 to 54 500
      Age 55 to 64 370
      Age 65 and over 518
            Median Age 40.3 years


Educational Attainment, population age 25 or older 1,745
      High school graduation or higher 98.5%
      Bachelor's degree or higher 48.9%
 
Income, Inflation Adjusted $   (ACS 2018-2022)
Per Capita Income $56,460
Median Family Income $118,500
Median Household Income $115,257
 
Median Earnings, full-time, year-round workers
      Male $83,542
      Female $68,925
 
Individuals below poverty level 6.2%
 
Labor Force   (NHES - ELMI)

Annual Average 2013 2023
    Civilian Labor Force 1,406   1,398
    Employed 1,364   1,376
    Unemploymed 42   22
    Unemployment rate 3.0%   1.6%

 
Employment & Wages   (NHES-ELMI)
Annual Average Covered Employment 2013 2023
Good-Producing Industries  
    Average Employment  84  113
    Average Weekly Wage  $486  $683
 
Service-Providing Industries  
    Average Employment  293  418
    Average Weekly Wage  $730  $1,138
 
Total Private  
    Average Employment  378  531
    Average Weekly Wage  $675  $1,041
 
Government(Federal, State, Local)  
    Average Employment  31  26
    Average Weekly Wage  $580  $1,119
 
Total, Private Industry plus Government  
    Average Employment  409  557
    Average Weekly Wage  $668  $1,044
 
If "n" appears, data do not meet disclosure standards.




Education and Child Care NH Department of Education, 2023
Schools Students Attend: Plainfield operates grades K-8; grades 9-12 are tuitioned to Lebanon District: SAU 32
Career Technology Center: Hartford Area Career & Technology Center (VT)
 
Educational Facilities(includes Charter Schools) Elementary Middle/Junior High High School Private/Parochial
Number of Schools 1 — — 2
Grade Levels K 1-8 — — 1-8
Total Enrollment 196 — — 342
       
Nearest Community/Technical College: River Valley
Nearest College or Universities: Dartmouth; Franklin Pierce-Lebanon; Upper Valley Educators Institute

2023 NH Licensed Child Care Facilities (DHHS-Bureau of Child Care Licensing)   Total Facilities:     1   Capacity:     19

Largest Businesses Product/Service Employees Established
Kimball Union Academy Private school
North Country Door Cabinet, door manufacturing
Town Line Equipment Heavy equipment dealer
McNamara Dairy Glass bottle milk
Taylor Farm Maple & cheese products
Garfield's Smokehouse Smoked products
Edgewater Farm Farmstand, greenhouses, & PYO strawberries
Riverview Farm PYO apples & berries
Olde Village Haunt Restaurant
Poor Thoms Tavern Pub restaurant
 
Employer Information Supplied by Municipality
 
Transportation (distance estimated from city/town hall)
Road Access US Routes:
State Routes: 12A, 120
Nearest Interstate/Exit: I-89, Exit 15
Distance: 7 miles
 
Railroad No
Public Transportation No
 
Nearest Public Use Airport, General Aviation
    Lebanon Municipal Runway  5,496 ft. asphalt
    Lighted?  Yes Navigation Aids?  Yes
 
Nearest Airport With Scheduled Service
    Lebanon Municipal Distance   10 miles
    Number of Passenger Airlines Serving Airport 1
 
Driving distance to select cities:
    Manchester, New Hampshire 74 miles
    Portland, Maine 166 miles
    Boston, Massachusetts 124 miles
    New York City, New York 262 miles
    Montreal, Quebec, Canada 191 miles
 
Commuting To Work (ACS 2018-2022)
Workers 16 years of age and over
  Drove alone, car/truck/van: 69.3%
  Carpooled, car/truck/van: 5.7%
  Used Public Transportation: 0.0%
  Walked: 3.8%
  Traveled by other means: 3.1%
  Worked at home: 18.1%
Mean Travel Time to Work: 21.8 minutes
 
Work in community of residence: 56.3%
Commute to other NH community: 36.5%
Commute out-of-state: 7.2%
Recreation, Attractions, Events
X Municipal Parks
YMCA/YWCA
Boys Club/Girls Club
Golf Courses
Swimming: INDOOR FACILITY
Swimming: OUTDOOR FACILITY
Tennis Courts: Indoor Facility
Tennis Courts: Outdoor Facility
Ice Skating Rink: Indoor Facility
Bowling Facilities
Museums
Cinemas
Performing Arts Facilities
Tourist Attractions
X Youth Organizations (ie Scouts and 4-H)
X Youth Sports: Baseball
X Youth Sports: Soccer
Youth Sports: Football
X Youth Sports: Basketball
Youth Sports: Hockey
Campgrounds
X Fishing/Hunting
Boating/Marinas
X Snowmobile Trails
X Bicycle Trails
X Cross Country Skiing
Beach or Waterfront Recreation Areas
Overnight or Day Camps

Nearest Ski Areas: Mount Sunapee, Whaleback
 
Other: Meriden Covered Bridge; Annual 4th of July Parade; Maxfield Parrish Stage Set