What stands out worked out from the figures below

Plainfield has the most affordable homes ($155k median).

Middlesex has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.8%).

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	Middlesex
People
Population	1,016Lowest	1,943Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	34.5±6.6Lowest 11% below U.S.	44.4±3.9Highest 14% above U.S.
	Middlesex and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.6%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.3%±3.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Middlesex and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.5%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.6%±3.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Middlesex and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	54.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14.9%±11.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.2%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Plainfield and Middlesex are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,673±$6kLowest 12% below U.S.	$109,632±$13kHighest 36% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$155,100±$17kLowest 53% below U.S.	$376,300±$40kHighest 13% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$750±$207Lowest 47% below U.S.	$1,333±$359Highest 6% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,667Lowest 14% below U.S.	$6,483Highest 108% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.6%±43.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Plainfield and Middlesex are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	96.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	27 minLowest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	11.5%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	28.4%±10.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	—	Washington Central Unified Union School District #92
High school in town	—	None in town
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.