What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Salem has the most people working from home (21.6%).

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	Salem
People
Population	15,141Lowest	44,795Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+7.6% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37±4.5Lowest 5% below U.S.	39.3±1.5Highest about the U.S. average
	Salem 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%	15.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Plainfield and Salem 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%	17.2%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Salem 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%	47.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8.2%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Salem 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.	$85,153±$5kHighest 5% above U.S.
	Salem 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.	$542,800±$18kHighest 63% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$70Lowest 15% below U.S.	$1,836±$84Highest 30% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,209Lowest 35% above U.S.	$6,114Highest 96% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.8%±9.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	54.9%±4.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	8.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	12.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	49.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	29 minHighest 8% above U.S.
Work from home	10%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#131 of 149 in CT	#248 of 282 in MA
School district	Plainfield School District	Salem
High school in town	Plainfield High School	Salem High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Highest	9.8Lowest
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.