What stands out worked out from the figures below

Plainfield has the most kids (19.4% under 18).

Bristol has the most expensive homes ($485k 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	Plainfield	Bristol
People
Population	15,141Lowest	22,220Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-2% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37±4.5Lowest 5% below U.S.	43±2.2Highest 11% above U.S.
	Bristol 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%	12.9%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	16.6%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.9%±2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	15%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	47.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	18.6%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$76,993±$8kLowest 5% below U.S.	$97,764±$8kHighest 21% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,100±$16kLowest 18% below U.S.	$485,000±$25kHighest 46% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$70Lowest 15% below U.S.	$1,579±$118Highest 12% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,209Lowest 35% above U.S.	$5,393Highest 73% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.8%±9.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	37.9%±8.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Plainfield and Bristol 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%	6.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	66.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1964Lowest 16 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the U.S. average	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	10%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	11.2%±2.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bristol 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	#20 of 38 in RI
School district	Plainfield School District	Bristol Warren
High school in town	Plainfield High School	Mt. Hope High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	12.5Highest
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.