What stands out worked out from the figures below

Burlington has the most people working from home (25%).

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	Burlington	Plainville
People
Population	9,680Lowest	17,551Highest
Median age	39.9±2.4Lowest about the CT average	44.3±1.5Highest 8% above CT
Kids under 18	25.9%±3.3Highest CT: 20.2%	15.6%±2.3Lowest CT: 20.2%
Age 65+	13.7%±1.9Lowest CT: 18.5%	20.1%±2.8Highest CT: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50.8%Highest CT: 42.5%	30%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.5%±2Highest CT: 7.1%	6.2%±1.6Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Burlington and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$165,120±$13kHighest 72% above CT	$84,343±$7kLowest 12% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$418,700±$21kHighest 14% above CT	$254,000±$14kLowest 31% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,427±$671Highest 4% below CT	$1,126±$147Lowest 24% below CT
	Burlington and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,464Highest 12% above CT	$4,798Lowest 28% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.1%±15.9Highest CT: 52.6%	40.3%±12.4Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Burlington and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.1%Lowest CT: 10%	6.5%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.6%Highest CT: 66.5%	67.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 14 yrs newer than CT	1971Lowest 4 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 9% above CT	21 minLowest 20% below CT
Work from home	25%±4.1Highest CT: 16%	10.7%±2Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#58 of 149 in CT	#89 of 149 in CT
School district	Regional School District 10	Judicial Centers · Plainville School District
High school in town	Lewis S. Mills High School	Plainville High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4	11.4
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.