What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hopkinton has the most people working from home (33.6%).

Plainfield has the most affordable homes ($272k 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	Hopkinton	Plainfield
People
Population	19,358Highest	15,141Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+25.7% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	40.8±1.6Highest 5% above U.S.	37±4.5Lowest 5% below U.S.
	Hopkinton and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	29.5%±3.1Highest U.S.: 22%	19.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	12.5%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	16.6%±2.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	77.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	15%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Plainfield and Hopkinton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$222,801±$22kHighest 176% above U.S.	$76,993±$8kLowest 5% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$802,700±$39kHighest 141% above U.S.	$272,100±$16kLowest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,641±$361Highest 87% above U.S.	$1,204±$70Lowest 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$4,209Lowest 35% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64.4%±14.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39.8%±9.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	2.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 10 yrs newer than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 37% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	33.6%±4.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#5 of 282 in MA	#131 of 149 in CT
School district	Hopkinton	Plainfield School District
High school in town	Hopkinton High	Plainfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.4Highest	10.3Lowest
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.