What stands out worked out from the figures below

Plainfield has the most affordable homes ($318k median).

Andover has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.1%).

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	Andover
People
Population	1,314Lowest	36,652Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.1±5.5Highest 24% above U.S.	42.9±1Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Plainfield and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.3%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	21.1%±3.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	75.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8.1%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,250±$31kLowest 14% below U.S.	$172,606±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$318,400±$34kLowest 4% below U.S.	$855,600±$22kHighest 157% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,153±$103Lowest 18% below U.S.	$2,201±$129Highest 56% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,806Lowest 54% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	73.2%±53.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39.7%±7.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Plainfield and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	79.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.	29 minHighest 10% above U.S.
Work from home	16.4%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	30.4%±2.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#68 of 282 in MA
School district	—	Andover · Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	—	Gr Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.8
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.