What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Spencer has the most people working from home (15%).

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	Spencer
People
Population	15,141Highest	12,008Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.6% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37±4.5Lowest 5% below U.S.	48.9±6.8Highest 26% above U.S.
Kids under 18	19.4%±2.6Highest U.S.: 22%	16.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Plainfield and Spencer 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%	26%±4.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	15%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	29.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.2%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Plainfield and Spencer 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.	$80,533±$11kHighest about the U.S. average
	Spencer 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.	$382,000±$22kHighest 15% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$70Highest 15% below U.S.	$1,078±$161Lowest 24% below U.S.
	Plainfield and Spencer 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.	$4,387Highest 41% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.8%±9.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	50.6%±10.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Spencer 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%	11%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	63%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1968Lowest 12 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	34 minHighest 30% above U.S.
Work from home	10%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15%±7.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Spencer 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	#261 of 282 in MA
School district	Plainfield School District	Spencer-E Brookfield
High school in town	Plainfield High School	David Prouty High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Highest	9.9Lowest
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.