What stands out worked out from the figures below

Athens has the most affordable homes ($240k median).

Plainfield has the shortest commute (24 min average).

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	1,314Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-0.6% VT: +2.8%
Median age	47.3±6.5Lowest 10% above VT	48.1±5.5Highest 12% above VT
	Plainfield and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.9%±6.5Lowest VT: 17.9%	16.3%±4.7Highest VT: 17.9%
	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 VT: 21.4%	21.1%±3.5Lowest VT: 21.4%
	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%Lowest VT: 43.8%	48.2%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3Highest VT: 7%	2.1%±1.3Lowest VT: 7%
	Athens and Plainfield 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 16% below VT	$69,250±$31kHighest 15% below VT
	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±$32kLowest 24% below VT	$318,400±$34kHighest about the VT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$537Lowest 9% below VT	$1,153±$103Highest 7% below VT
	Plainfield and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,438Highest 8% above VT	$4,806Lowest 5% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.5%±39Lowest VT: 48.4%	73.2%±53.9Highest VT: 48.4%
	Plainfield and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.1%Highest VT: 10.1%	11.6%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	80.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 3 yrs older than VT	1955Lowest 21 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 53% above VT	24 minLowest about the VT average
Work from home	19.3%±7.5Highest VT: 16.9%	16.4%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9%
	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

VT 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.