What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hudson has the most people working from home (19.6%).

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	Hudson	Plainfield
People
Population	20,077Highest	15,141Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.4% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	42.9±1.7Highest 10% above U.S.	37±4.5Lowest 5% below U.S.
	Hudson and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.3%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.4%±2.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Plainfield and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.1%±2.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.6%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hudson and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	15%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Plainfield and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$103,400±$13kHighest 28% above U.S.	$76,993±$8kLowest 5% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$496,800±$22kHighest 49% above U.S.	$272,100±$16kLowest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,406±$82Highest about the U.S. average	$1,204±$70Lowest 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,892Highest 121% above U.S.	$4,209Lowest 35% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.8%±8.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39.8%±9.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Hudson and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	73.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	19.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#224 of 282 in MA	#131 of 149 in CT
School district	Hudson	Plainfield School District
High school in town	Hudson High	Plainfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.2Lowest	10.3Highest
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.