What stands out worked out from the figures below

Busti has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.6%).

Plainfield has the most expensive homes ($318k 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	Busti	Plainfield
People
Population	7,452Highest	1,314Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.6±4.8Lowest 20% above U.S.	48.1±5.5Highest 24% above U.S.
	Plainfield and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.9%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%	16.3%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Busti and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.8%±3.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	21.1%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Busti and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	48.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Busti and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,292±$9kLowest 17% below U.S.	$69,250±$31kHighest 14% below U.S.
	Plainfield and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$164,600±$12kLowest 51% below U.S.	$318,400±$34kHighest 4% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,085±$106Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,153±$103Highest 18% below U.S.
	Plainfield and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,876Lowest 24% above U.S.	$4,806Highest 54% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.5%±13.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	73.2%±53.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Plainfield and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	11.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	80.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Highest 17 yrs older than U.S.	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 20% below U.S.	24 minHighest 9% below U.S.
Work from home	9.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.4%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Plainfield and Busti 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

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.