What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Belchertown has the highest household income ($108k).

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	Belchertown
People
Population	15,141Lowest	15,393Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4.8% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37±4.5Lowest 5% below U.S.	43.9±1.6Highest 13% above U.S.
Kids under 18	19.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.5%±2.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Belchertown and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.6%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	21%±2.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Belchertown and Plainfield 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%	47.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.7%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Belchertown and Plainfield 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.	$108,068±$15kHighest 34% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,100±$16kLowest 18% below U.S.	$371,300±$12kHighest 12% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$70Lowest 15% below U.S.	$1,292±$230Highest 9% below U.S.
	Belchertown 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.	$5,810Highest 86% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.8%±9.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.4%±21.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Belchertown 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%	8.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	87.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	29 minHighest 9% above U.S.
Work from home	10%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Belchertown 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	#168 of 282 in MA
School district	Plainfield School District	Belchertown
High school in town	Plainfield High School	Belchertown High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	11.9Highest
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.