What stands out worked out from the figures below

Paxton has the most people working from home (25.5%).

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	Paxton	Plainfield
People
Population	5,002Lowest	15,141Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.1% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	41.8±3.3Highest 7% above U.S.	37±4.5Lowest 5% below U.S.
	Paxton and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.4%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.4%±2.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Plainfield and Paxton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.4%±3.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.6%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Paxton and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	15%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15.9%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$134,083±$8kHighest 66% above U.S.	$76,993±$8kLowest 5% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$472,300±$29kHighest 42% above U.S.	$272,100±$16kLowest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,386±$88Highest about the U.S. average	$1,204±$70Lowest 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,129Highest 129% above U.S.	$4,209Lowest 35% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26.2%±15.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	39.8%±9.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Plainfield and Paxton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	25.5%±5.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#219 of 282 in MA	#131 of 149 in CT
School district	Wachusett	Plainfield School District
High school in town	None in town	Plainfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.3
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.