What stands out worked out from the figures below

Plainfield has the most affordable homes ($272k median).

Ayer has the most people working from home (19.8%).

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	Plainfield	Ayer
People
Population	15,141Highest	3,098Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37±4.5Lowest 5% below U.S.	42.1±6.9Highest 8% above U.S.
	Ayer and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Ayer and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.6%±2.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.3%±5.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Plainfield and Ayer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	15%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	37.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.2%±3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Plainfield and Ayer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$76,993±$8kHighest 5% below U.S.	$74,878±$17kLowest 7% below U.S.
	Plainfield and Ayer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,100±$16kLowest 18% below U.S.	$444,600±$43kHighest 34% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$70Lowest 15% below U.S.	$1,240±$169Highest 12% below U.S.
	Ayer and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,209Lowest 35% above U.S.	$4,911Highest 57% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.8%±9.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±21.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ayer and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	29 minHighest 8% above U.S.
Work from home	10%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.8%±6.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Ayer and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#131 of 149 in CT	#113 of 282 in MA
School district	Plainfield School District	—
High school 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.