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 (21.6%).

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	8,645Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+14.2% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37±4.5Lowest 5% below U.S.	39.2±2.8Highest about the U.S. average
	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%	20.3%±3.9Highest 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%	14.5%±2.8Lowest 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%	42.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±1.5Lowest 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±$8kLowest 5% below U.S.	$101,875±$15kHighest 26% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,100±$16kLowest 18% below U.S.	$463,800±$29kHighest 39% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$70Lowest 15% below U.S.	$1,415±$180Highest about the U.S. average
	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.	$5,057Highest 62% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.8%±9.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	45.1%±14.2Highest 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%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	10.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	69.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	33 minHighest 25% above U.S.
Work from home	10%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.6%±5.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#131 of 149 in CT	#113 of 282 in MA
School district	Plainfield School District	Ayer Shirley School District
High school in town	Plainfield High School	Ayer Shirley Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	11.5Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	12 photos →

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.