Compare towns
Danielson vs Shirley vs Plainfield
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Danielson has the most renters (47% rent).
Shirley has the most people working from home (21%).
Plainfield has the shortest commute (27 min average).
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.
| Measure | Danielson | Shirley | Plainfield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 4,209Lowest |
6,976 |
15,141Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+3.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
— |
| Median age | 34.5±3.6Lowest 11% below U.S. |
44.3±3.4Highest 14% above U.S. |
37±4.5 5% below U.S. |
| Shirley and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 18.9%±6.1 U.S.: 22% |
16.4%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22% |
19.4%±2.6Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Plainfield and Danielson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 13.6%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
19.8%±5.1Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
16.6%±2.4 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Shirley and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 11.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
36.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
15% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 9.2%±6.6Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.7%±2.2 U.S.: 6.4% |
5.6%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Danielson and Shirley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $64,050±$15kLowest 21% below U.S. |
$122,365±$16kHighest 52% above U.S. |
$76,993±$8k 5% below U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $224,600±$13kLowest 32% below U.S. |
$427,600±$36kHighest 29% above U.S. |
$272,100±$16k 18% below U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,235±$194 13% below U.S. |
$1,481±$421Highest 5% above U.S. |
$1,204±$70Lowest 15% below U.S. |
| Shirley and Danielson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,009Lowest 29% above U.S. |
$5,156Highest 65% above U.S. |
$4,209 35% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 44.7%±17.1 U.S.: 51.1% |
57.1%±21.8Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
39.8%±9.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Shirley and Danielson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 21.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
9.9% U.S.: 12.5% |
8.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 53%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
77.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
73.6% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1951Lowest 29 yrs older than U.S. |
1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S. |
1971 9 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 28 min 8% above U.S. |
40 minHighest 53% above U.S. |
27 minLowest about the U.S. average |
| Work from home | 6.6%±5.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
21%±7.8Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
10%±4 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Shirley and Plainfield 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 | — | #239 of 282 in MA | #131 of 149 in CT |
| School district | — | Ayer Shirley School District | Plainfield School District |
| High school in town | — | None in town | Plainfield High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 10.3 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.