What stands out worked out from the figures below

Athens has the most people working from home (19.3%).

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	Athens	Plainfield
People
Population	431Lowest	1,016Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+0.8% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	47.3±6.5Highest 22% above U.S.	34.5±6.6Lowest 11% below U.S.
	Athens and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.9%±6.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	15.6%±2.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Plainfield and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.6%±4.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.5%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Athens and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	28.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	14.9%±11.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Plainfield and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$68,438±$30kLowest 15% below U.S.	$70,673±$6kHighest 12% below U.S.
	Plainfield and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$240,400±$32kHighest 28% below U.S.	$155,100±$17kLowest 53% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$537Highest 20% below U.S.	$750±$207Lowest 47% below U.S.
	Athens and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,438Highest 74% above U.S.	$2,667Lowest 14% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.5%±39Highest U.S.: 51.1%	40.6%±43.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Athens and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	87.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 36% above U.S.	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	19.3%±7.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.5%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Athens and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.