What stands out worked out from the figures below

Plainfield has the shortest commute (24 min average).

Athens has the most affordable homes ($240k 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	Athens
People
Population	1,314Highest	431Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.6% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	48.1±5.5Highest 12% above VT	47.3±6.5Lowest 10% above VT
	Plainfield and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.3%±4.7Highest VT: 17.9%	13.9%±6.5Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Plainfield and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.1%±3.5Lowest VT: 21.4%	21.6%±4.6Highest VT: 21.4%
	Athens and Plainfield 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%	30.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.3Lowest VT: 7%	4.9%±3Highest VT: 7%
	Athens and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,250±$31kHighest 15% below VT	$68,438±$30kLowest 16% below VT
	Plainfield and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$318,400±$34kHighest about the VT average	$240,400±$32kLowest 24% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,153±$103Highest 7% below VT	$1,125±$537Lowest 9% below VT
	Plainfield and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,806Lowest 5% below VT	$5,438Highest 8% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	73.2%±53.9Highest VT: 48.4%	43.5%±39Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Plainfield and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.6%Lowest VT: 10.1%	12.1%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.9%Highest VT: 73.2%	73.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 21 yrs older than VT	1973Highest 3 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest about the VT average	36 minHighest 53% above VT
Work from home	16.4%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	19.3%±7.5Highest VT: 16.9%
	Athens and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.