What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Hadley has the most people working from home (20.1%).

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	Hadley
People
Population	15,141Highest	5,306Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+1.4% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37±4.5Lowest 5% below U.S.	45.8±7.1Highest 18% above U.S.
	Hadley 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%	16.2%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Plainfield and Hadley 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%	24.2%±4.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	15%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	61.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	10.9%±5.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hadley 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.	$119,259±$12kHighest 48% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,100±$16kLowest 18% below U.S.	$511,000±$43kHighest 54% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$70Lowest 15% below U.S.	$1,402±$132Highest about the U.S. average
	Hadley 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.	$5,271Highest 69% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.8%±9.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	38.6%±18.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Plainfield and Hadley 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%	6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971 9 yrs older than U.S.	1971 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the U.S. average	20 minLowest 26% below U.S.
Work from home	10%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	20.1%±7.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Hadley 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	#116 of 282 in MA
School district	Plainfield School District	Hadley
High school in town	Plainfield High School	Hopkins Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Highest	7.3Lowest
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.