What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Norton has the most people working from home (25.5%).

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	Norton
People
Population	1,314Highest	108Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.6% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	48.1±5.5Lowest 12% above VT	53.8±6.7Highest 25% above VT
	Norton and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.3%±4.7Highest VT: 17.9%	13%±21.1Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Plainfield and Norton 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%	31.5%±15.8Highest VT: 21.4%
	Norton 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%	28.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.3Lowest VT: 7%	4.6%±10.7Highest VT: 7%
	Norton 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	$65,625±$23kLowest 19% below VT
	Plainfield and Norton 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	$200,000±$32kLowest 37% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,153±$103 7% below VT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,806Highest 5% below VT	$2,769Lowest 45% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	73.2%±53.9 VT: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	11.6%Lowest VT: 10.1%	13%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	100%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 21 yrs older than VT	1974Highest 2 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest about the VT average	39 minHighest 68% above VT
Work from home	16.4%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	25.5%±18Highest VT: 16.9%
	Norton 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

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.