What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Westfield has the most expensive homes ($301k 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	Westfield
People
Population	1,016Highest	536Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	34.5±6.6Lowest 11% below U.S.	44±19.9Highest 13% above U.S.
	Westfield 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%	27.1%±5.1Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	14.5%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29.7%±11.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	27.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14.9%±11.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.2%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Plainfield and Westfield 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.	$72,500±$30kHighest 10% below U.S.
	Westfield and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$155,100±$17kLowest 53% below U.S.	$301,400±$47kHighest 9% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$750±$207Lowest 47% below U.S.	$863±$187Highest 39% below U.S.
	Westfield and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,667Lowest 14% below U.S.	$4,388Highest 41% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.6%±43.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	66.7%±71.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Westfield and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	12.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	91.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.
Work from home	11.5%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14.4%±6.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Westfield 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

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.