What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hawley has the highest household income ($88k).

Plainfield has the most people working from home (26.2%).

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	Hawley	Plainfield
People
Population	277Lowest	616Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-2.3% MA: +7.4%
Median age	56.8±7.2Highest 42% above MA	50.6±9.5Lowest 27% above MA
	Hawley and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.7%±10Lowest MA: 19.4%	19%±9.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Plainfield and Hawley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	37.2%±3.2Highest MA: 17.9%	29.5%±7.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Hawley and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%	52.6%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±5.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±2.5Highest MA: 7.9%
	Plainfield and Hawley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$87,500±$26kHighest 16% below MA	$63,500±$14kLowest 39% below MA
	Hawley and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$309,600±$38kHighest 45% below MA	$309,000±$47kLowest 45% below MA
	Hawley and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,292±$558 27% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,097Lowest 32% below MA	$4,458Highest 26% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±100Highest MA: 51.8%	40%±100Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Hawley and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.9%Lowest MA: 10%	16.9%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94%Lowest MA: 62.5%	98%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 1 yr older than MA	1974Highest 10 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 6% above MA	38 minHighest 30% above MA
Work from home	19.3%±12.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	26.2%±8.8Highest MA: 18.6%
	Plainfield and Hawley 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

MA 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.