What stands out worked out from the figures below

Arlington has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6%).

Plainfield has the most affordable homes ($155k 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	Arlington	Plainfield
People
Population	2,598Highest	1,016Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37.6±4Highest 3% below U.S.	34.5±6.6Lowest 11% below U.S.
	Arlington and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22%	15.6%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Arlington and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.5%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	55.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	28.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	14.9%±11.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Plainfield and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,308±$11kHighest 27% above U.S.	$70,673±$6kLowest 12% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$318,500±$59kHighest 4% below U.S.	$155,100±$17kLowest 53% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,191±$172Highest 16% below U.S.	$750±$207Lowest 47% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,549Highest 46% above U.S.	$2,667Lowest 14% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	77.1%±9.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	40.6%±43.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Arlington and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	87.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	35.9%±10.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.5%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#50 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Arlington School District	—
High school in town	Arlington Memorial	—
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6	—
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.