What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Scituate has the most expensive homes ($848k 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	Scituate
People
Population	15,141Lowest	19,365Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+5.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37±4.5Lowest 5% below U.S.	47.1±3.1Highest 21% above U.S.
Kids under 18	19.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.2%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Scituate and Plainfield 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%	22.2%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	15%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	66.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Plainfield and Scituate 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.	$136,732±$16kHighest 69% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,100±$16kLowest 18% below U.S.	$847,600±$25kHighest 155% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$70Lowest 15% below U.S.	$1,609±$311Highest 14% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,209Lowest 35% above U.S.	$8,807Highest 182% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.8%±9.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.7%±10.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Scituate 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 U.S.: 12.5%	2.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	87.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1960Lowest 20 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	38 minHighest 44% above U.S.
Work from home	10%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	28%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#131 of 149 in CT	#43 of 282 in MA
School district	Plainfield School District	Scituate
High school in town	Plainfield High School	Scituate High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	11.3Highest
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.