What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northampton has the most people working from home (24.1%).

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	Northampton	Plainfield
People
Population	30,962Highest	15,141Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	41.3±2.2Highest 6% above U.S.	37±4.5Lowest 5% below U.S.
	Northampton and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.4%±2.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Plainfield and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.4%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.6%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Northampton and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	15%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,288±$6kHighest about the U.S. average	$76,993±$8kLowest 5% below U.S.
	Northampton and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$429,700±$17kHighest 29% above U.S.	$272,100±$16kLowest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,439±$75Highest about the U.S. average	$1,204±$70Lowest 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,680Highest 82% above U.S.	$4,209Lowest 35% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±6.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39.8%±9.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	13.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	73.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 19% below U.S.	27 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	24.1%±3.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#159 of 282 in MA	#131 of 149 in CT
School district	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural	Plainfield School District
High school in town	Northampton High	Plainfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	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.