What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Charlotte has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.2%).

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	Charlotte
People
Population	1,314Lowest	3,916Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.6%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+4.2%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	48.1±5.5Lowest 12% above VT	52.2±5Highest 21% above VT
	Charlotte and Plainfield 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%	19.6%±4.5Highest VT: 17.9%
	Charlotte and Plainfield 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%	22.3%±5.2Highest VT: 21.4%
	Charlotte 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%Lowest VT: 43.8%	66.2%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.3Highest VT: 7%	1.4%±1.2Lowest VT: 7%
	Plainfield and Charlotte are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,250±$31kLowest 15% below VT	$144,375±$27kHighest 78% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$318,400±$34kLowest about the VT average	$695,300±$53kHighest 120% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,153±$103Lowest 7% below VT	$1,738±$803Highest 41% above VT
	Charlotte and Plainfield 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	$9,221Highest 83% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	73.2%±53.9Highest VT: 48.4%	56.1%±28.6Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Plainfield and Charlotte are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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%	95.5%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 21 yrs older than VT	1982Highest 6 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest about the VT average	25 minHighest 7% above VT
Work from home	16.4%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	29.8%±8.6Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#3 of 70 in VT
School district	—	Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56
High school in town	—	None in town
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.