What stands out worked out from the figures below

Plainfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.8%).

Springfield has the most expensive homes ($239k 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	Springfield
People
Population	1,016Highest	952Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.8%Highest NY: +4.2%	-0.9%Lowest NY: +4.2%
Median age	34.5±6.6Lowest 13% below NY	39.6±9.9Highest about the NY average
	Springfield 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 NY: 20.5%	19.1%±4.5Highest NY: 20.5%
	Springfield 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 NY: 17.9%	25.9%±8.3Highest NY: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.2%Lowest NY: 40.2%	30.9%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14.9%±11.2Highest NY: 7%	3.4%±2.2Lowest NY: 7%
	Plainfield and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,673±$6kHighest 18% below NY	$62,965±$9kLowest 27% below NY
	Plainfield and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$155,100±$17kLowest 63% below NY	$239,100±$107kHighest 44% below NY
	Springfield and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$750±$207Lowest 54% below NY	$773±$129Highest 52% below NY
	Springfield and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,667Lowest 59% below NY	$3,000Highest 54% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.6%±43.5Highest NY: 52.1%	21.6%±56.2Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Plainfield and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.8%Lowest NY: 14%	20.1%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.6%Highest NY: 54.3%	81%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 18 yrs newer than NY	1959Lowest same as NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 10% below NY	30 minHighest 7% below NY
Work from home	11.5%±4.7Lowest NY: 14.9%	13.3%±6.2Highest NY: 14.9%
	Springfield and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

NY 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.