What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brockton has the most expensive homes ($438k median).

Plainfield has the most people working from home (10%).

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	Brockton	Plainfield
People
Population	105,386Highest	15,141Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.6% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	36.7±0.8Lowest 6% below U.S.	37±4.5Highest 5% below U.S.
	Plainfield and Brockton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	25.3%±1Highest U.S.: 22%	19.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	14.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	16.6%±2.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Plainfield and Brockton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	15%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.3%±0.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brockton and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,115±$3kHighest about the U.S. average	$76,993±$8kLowest 5% below U.S.
	Brockton and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$437,500±$8kHighest 31% above U.S.	$272,100±$16kLowest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,641±$52Highest 16% above U.S.	$1,204±$70Lowest 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,820Highest 55% above U.S.	$4,209Lowest 35% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.5%±4.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39.8%±9.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	13.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	73.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 20 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 19% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	6.9%±1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Plainfield and Brockton 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	#279 of 282 in MA	#131 of 149 in CT
School district	Brockton	Plainfield School District
High school in town	Brockton High	Plainfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	17.0Highest	10.3Lowest
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.