What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bridgewater has the most affordable homes ($80k median).

Plainfield has the most people working from home (11.5%).

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	Bridgewater	Plainfield
People
Population	543Lowest	1,016Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+0.8% NY: +4.2%
Median age	33.1±6.8Lowest 17% below NY	34.5±6.6Highest 13% below NY
	Plainfield and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±6.4Highest NY: 20.5%	15.6%±2.8Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Bridgewater and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	12%±7.2Lowest NY: 17.9%	14.5%±2.7Highest NY: 17.9%
	Plainfield and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	10.3%Lowest NY: 40.2%	28.2%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±3.5Lowest NY: 7%	14.9%±11.2Highest NY: 7%
	Plainfield and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$35,694±$8kLowest 58% below NY	$70,673±$6kHighest 18% below NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$80,000±$43kLowest 81% below NY	$155,100±$17kHighest 63% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$735±$16Lowest 55% below NY	$750±$207Highest 54% below NY
	Plainfield and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,167Lowest 67% below NY	$2,667Highest 59% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	3.1%±38.6Lowest NY: 52.1%	40.6%±43.5Highest NY: 52.1%
	Plainfield and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	28.7%Highest NY: 14%	7.8%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.1%Lowest NY: 54.3%	87.6%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1948Lowest 11 yrs older than NY	1977Highest 18 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 25% below NY	29 minHighest 10% below NY
Work from home	2.8%±3.6Lowest NY: 14.9%	11.5%±4.7Highest NY: 14.9%
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

NY 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.