What stands out worked out from the figures below

Berlin has the most expensive homes ($375k median).

Plainville has the most affordable homes ($254k 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	Berlin	Plainville
People
Population	20,361Highest	17,551Lowest
Median age	48.7±3Highest 18% above CT	44.3±1.5Lowest 8% above CT
	Berlin and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±2.7Highest CT: 20.2%	15.6%±2.3Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Berlin and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.5%±3.1Highest CT: 18.5%	20.1%±2.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Berlin and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.9%Highest CT: 42.5%	30%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.2%±1.5Highest CT: 7.1%	6.2%±1.6Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Berlin and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$113,598±$11kHighest 19% above CT	$84,343±$7kLowest 12% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$374,600±$13kHighest about the CT average	$254,000±$14kLowest 31% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,402±$88Highest 6% below CT	$1,126±$147Lowest 24% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,291Highest 10% above CT	$4,798Lowest 28% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.4%±11.3Highest CT: 52.6%	40.3%±12.4Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Berlin and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Lowest CT: 10%	6.5%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.6%Highest CT: 66.5%	67.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 5 yrs newer than CT	1971Lowest 4 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 21% below CT	21 minHighest 20% below CT
Work from home	14.4%±4.6Highest CT: 16%	10.7%±2Lowest CT: 16%
	Berlin and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#73 of 149 in CT	#89 of 149 in CT
School district	Berlin School District	Judicial Centers · Plainville School District
High school in town	Berlin High School	Plainville High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.5Highest	11.4Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

CT 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.