What stands out worked out from the figures below

Plainfield has the highest household income ($77k).

Brattleboro has the most people working from home (17.9%).

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	Brattleboro
People
Population	15,141Highest	12,122Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+1.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37±4.5Lowest 5% below U.S.	45.6±4.5Highest 17% above U.S.
	Brattleboro and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±2.6Highest U.S.: 22%	19%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Plainfield and Brattleboro 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%	25.5%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	15%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Plainfield and Brattleboro 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.	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,100±$16kHighest 18% below U.S.	$257,300±$18kLowest 23% below U.S.
	Plainfield and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$70Highest 15% below U.S.	$1,074±$58Lowest 24% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,209Lowest 35% above U.S.	$5,700Highest 83% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.8%±9.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±9.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brattleboro 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%	17.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the U.S. average	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.
Work from home	10%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.9%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Brattleboro 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	#33 of 70 in VT
School district	Plainfield School District	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	Plainfield High School	Brattleboro Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Highest	9.0Lowest
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.