What stands out worked out from the figures below

Maynard has the most people working from home (22.9%).

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	Maynard	Plainfield
People
Population	10,712Lowest	15,141Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.3% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	45.3±4.3Highest 16% above U.S.	37±4.5Lowest 5% below U.S.
	Maynard and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.4%±2.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Plainfield and Maynard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.6%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Maynard and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	64.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	15%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Plainfield and Maynard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$124,067±$16kHighest 54% above U.S.	$76,993±$8kLowest 5% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$527,400±$31kHighest 59% above U.S.	$272,100±$16kLowest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,800±$148Highest 27% above U.S.	$1,204±$70Lowest 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,266Highest 165% above U.S.	$4,209Lowest 35% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.9%±9.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39.8%±9.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Maynard and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 17 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	22.9%±7.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#166 of 282 in MA	#131 of 149 in CT
School district	Maynard	Plainfield School District
High school in town	Maynard High	Plainfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.7Lowest	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.