What stands out worked out from the figures below

Marshfield has the most people working from home (24.5%).

Plainfield has the most expensive homes ($318k 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	Marshfield	Plainfield
People
Population	1,863Highest	1,314Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.3%Highest VT: +2.8%	-0.6%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	38.7±6.1Lowest 10% below VT	48.1±5.5Highest 12% above VT
	Plainfield and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.2%±2.9Highest VT: 17.9%	16.3%±4.7Lowest VT: 17.9%
Age 65+	17.8%±2.1Lowest VT: 21.4%	21.1%±3.5Highest VT: 21.4%
	Plainfield and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38.5%Lowest VT: 43.8%	48.2%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.4Highest VT: 7%	2.1%±1.3Lowest VT: 7%
	Marshfield and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,313±$10kLowest 26% below VT	$69,250±$31kHighest 15% below VT
	Plainfield and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$214,100±$37kLowest 32% below VT	$318,400±$34kHighest about the VT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,317±$126Highest 7% above VT	$1,153±$103Lowest 7% below VT
	Marshfield and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,668Lowest 27% below VT	$4,806Highest 5% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	65.7%±73.8Lowest VT: 48.4%	73.2%±53.9Highest VT: 48.4%
	Plainfield and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%	11.6%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.7%Highest VT: 73.2%	80.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 4 yrs older than VT	1955Lowest 21 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 23% above VT	24 minLowest about the VT average
Work from home	24.5%±7.5Highest VT: 16.9%	16.4%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Marshfield and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

VT 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.