What stands out worked out from the figures below

Easthampton has the most people working from home (19%).

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	Easthampton	Plainville
People
Population	16,086Lowest	17,551Highest
Median age	46±2.6Highest 18% above U.S.	44.3±1.5Lowest 14% above U.S.
	Easthampton and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.5%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	15.6%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Plainville and Easthampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.9%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.1%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Easthampton and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	30%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.2%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Plainville and Easthampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,673±$7kLowest 11% below U.S.	$84,343±$7kHighest 4% above U.S.
	Plainville and Easthampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$371,500±$15kHighest 12% above U.S.	$254,000±$14kLowest 24% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$70Highest 9% below U.S.	$1,126±$147Lowest 20% below U.S.
	Easthampton and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,932Highest 58% above U.S.	$4,798Lowest 54% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.5%±10.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	40.3%±12.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Easthampton and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	67.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minHighest 16% below U.S.	21 minLowest 20% below U.S.
Work from home	19%±3.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.7%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#92 of 282 in MA	#89 of 149 in CT
School district	Easthampton	Judicial Centers · Plainville School District
High school in town	Easthampton High	Plainville High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	11.4Highest
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.