What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Shirley has the most people working from home (21%).

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	Shirley
People
Population	15,141Highest	6,976Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37±4.5Lowest 5% below U.S.	44.3±3.4Highest 14% above U.S.
	Shirley 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%	16.4%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Plainfield and Shirley 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%	19.8%±5.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Shirley 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%	36.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.7%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Shirley 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.	$122,365±$16kHighest 52% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,100±$16kLowest 18% below U.S.	$427,600±$36kHighest 29% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$70Lowest 15% below U.S.	$1,481±$421Highest 5% above U.S.
	Shirley 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.	$5,156Highest 65% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.8%±9.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.1%±21.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Shirley and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	9.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	77.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	40 minHighest 53% above U.S.
Work from home	10%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21%±7.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Shirley 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	#239 of 282 in MA
School district	Plainfield School District	Ayer Shirley School District
High school in town	Plainfield High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3	—
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.