What stands out worked out from the figures below

Plainfield has the shortest commute (27 min average).

Winchendon has the most expensive homes ($324k 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	Winchendon
People
Population	15,141Highest	10,440Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+0.6% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37±4.5Lowest 5% below U.S.	39.6±1.9Highest about the U.S. average
	Winchendon and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.8%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Winchendon 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%	16.9%±2.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Winchendon 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%	21.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Plainfield and Winchendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$76,993±$8kHighest 5% below U.S.	$75,690±$14kLowest 6% below U.S.
	Plainfield and Winchendon 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.	$323,800±$19kHighest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$70Lowest 15% below U.S.	$1,255±$163Highest 11% below U.S.
	Winchendon and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,209Highest 35% above U.S.	$3,780Lowest 21% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.8%±9.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	61.7%±17.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Winchendon 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%	18.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	76.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	32 minHighest 23% above U.S.
Work from home	10%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	11.2%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Winchendon 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	#269 of 282 in MA
School district	Plainfield School District	Winchendon
High school in town	Plainfield High School	Murdock 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.