What stands out worked out from the figures below

Plainfield has the most people working from home (16.4%).

Albany has the most affordable homes ($212k 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	Albany
People
Population	1,314Highest	135Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.6% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	48.1±5.5Highest 12% above VT	42.9±14Lowest about the VT average
	Plainfield and Albany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.3%±4.7Lowest VT: 17.9%	20.7%±11.4Highest VT: 17.9%
	Albany and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.1%±3.5Highest VT: 21.4%	11.1%±19.1Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Plainfield and Albany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.2%Highest VT: 43.8%	41.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.3Highest VT: 7%	0.7%±7.7Lowest VT: 7%
	Plainfield and Albany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,250±$31k 15% below VT	—
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$318,400±$34kHighest about the VT average	$211,800±$56kLowest 33% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,153±$103 7% below VT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,806Highest 5% below VT	$2,867Lowest 43% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	73.2%±53.9 VT: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	11.6%Highest VT: 10.1%	3.7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	100%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Highest 21 yrs older than VT	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest about the VT average	20 minLowest 14% below VT
Work from home	16.4%±4.4Highest VT: 16.9%	9%±6.3Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Plainfield and Albany 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

VT 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.