What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Durham has the highest household income ($159k).

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	Durham
People
Population	15,141Highest	7,208Lowest
Median age	37±4.5Lowest 10% below CT	45.5±2.8Highest 11% above CT
Kids under 18	19.4%±2.6Highest CT: 20.2%	16.4%±3.6Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Plainfield and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.6%±2.4Lowest CT: 18.5%	17.4%±3.7Highest CT: 18.5%
	Durham 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 CT: 42.5%	47.9%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.8Highest CT: 7.1%	3.6%±1.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Plainfield and Durham 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 20% below CT	$158,857±$7kHighest 66% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,100±$16kLowest 26% below CT	$424,800±$23kHighest 16% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$70Highest 19% below CT	$1,154±$448Lowest 22% below CT
	Plainfield and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,209Lowest 37% below CT	$7,998Highest 20% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.8%±9.5Lowest CT: 52.6%	44.9%±28.4Highest CT: 52.6%
	Durham 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 CT: 10%	3.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Lowest CT: 66.5%	93.2%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 4 yrs newer than CT	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the CT average	23 minLowest 13% below CT
Work from home	10%±4Lowest CT: 16%	20.5%±6.4Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#131 of 149 in CT	#88 of 149 in CT
School district	Plainfield School District	Regional School District 13
High school in town	Plainfield High School	Coginchaug Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Highest	8.9Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

CT 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.