What stands out worked out from the figures below

Greenfield has the shortest commute (17 min average).

Plainville has the highest household income ($84k).

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	Greenfield	Plainville
People
Population	17,664Highest	17,551Lowest
Median age	44.6±2.1Highest 15% above U.S.	44.3±1.5Lowest 14% above U.S.
	Greenfield and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±1.9Highest U.S.: 22%	15.6%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Greenfield and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.4%±2.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.1%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Greenfield and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	30%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.2%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Plainville and Greenfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,614±$7kLowest 31% below U.S.	$84,343±$7kHighest 4% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,100±$16kHighest 21% below U.S.	$254,000±$14kLowest 24% below U.S.
	Greenfield and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,107±$67Lowest 22% below U.S.	$1,126±$147Highest 20% below U.S.
	Plainville and Greenfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,769Lowest 53% above U.S.	$4,798Highest 54% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.2%±7.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	40.3%±12.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	15.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	67.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 34% below U.S.	21 minHighest 20% below U.S.
Work from home	11.9%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.7%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Greenfield and Plainville 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	#257 of 282 in MA	#89 of 149 in CT
School district	Greenfield	Judicial Centers · Plainville School District
High school in town	Greenfield High	Plainville High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Lowest	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.