What stands out worked out from the figures below

Plainfield has the most homeowners (73.6%).

Lynn has the most expensive homes ($510k 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	Lynn
People
Population	15,141Lowest	101,709Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+12.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37±4.5Highest 5% below U.S.	36.5±1.2Lowest 6% below U.S.
	Plainfield and Lynn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	24.1%±1.4Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	16.6%±2.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	13.7%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Plainfield and Lynn 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%	24.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Plainfield and Lynn 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.	$75,043±$3kLowest 7% below U.S.
	Plainfield and Lynn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,100±$16kLowest 18% below U.S.	$510,100±$23kHighest 53% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$70Lowest 15% below U.S.	$1,722±$60Highest 22% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,209Lowest 35% above U.S.	$5,384Highest 73% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.8%±9.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	60%±4.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	8.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	48.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1946Lowest 34 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	32 minHighest 19% above U.S.
Work from home	10%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.9%±1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Plainfield and Lynn 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	#277 of 282 in MA
School district	Plainfield School District	Lynn
High school in town	Plainfield High School	Lynn English High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	15.0Highest
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.