What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Northampton has the most people working from home (24.1%).

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	Northampton
People
Population	15,141Lowest	30,962Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.6% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37±4.5Lowest 5% below U.S.	41.3±2.2Highest 6% above U.S.
	Northampton 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%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Plainfield and Northampton 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%	20.4%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Northampton 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 U.S.: 35.7%	62.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	14%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$76,993±$8kLowest 5% below U.S.	$80,288±$6kHighest about the U.S. average
	Northampton and Plainfield 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.	$429,700±$17kHighest 29% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$70Lowest 15% below U.S.	$1,439±$75Highest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,209Lowest 35% above U.S.	$5,680Highest 82% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.8%±9.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.6%±6.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	8.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	57.3%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	21 minLowest 19% below U.S.
Work from home	10%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.1%±3.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#131 of 149 in CT	#159 of 282 in MA
School district	Plainfield School District	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural
High school in town	Plainfield High School	Northampton High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	14.7Highest
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.