What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Sheffield has the most affordable homes ($172k 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	Sheffield
People
Population	1,314Highest	573Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.6%Highest VT: +2.8%	-3%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	48.1±5.5Highest 12% above VT	42±8Lowest about the VT average
	Plainfield and Sheffield 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%	17.1%±6.6Highest VT: 17.9%
	Sheffield 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%	19.2%±4Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Plainfield and Sheffield 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%	27.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.3Lowest VT: 7%	5.9%±4.7Highest VT: 7%
	Sheffield 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	$58,333±$26kLowest 28% below VT
	Plainfield and Sheffield 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	$171,900±$50kLowest 46% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,153±$103Highest 7% below VT	$967±$79Lowest 22% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,806Highest 5% below VT	$2,123Lowest 58% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	73.2%±53.9Highest VT: 48.4%	61.5%±41.2Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Plainfield and Sheffield 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%	6.6%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	83.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 21 yrs older than VT	1987Highest 11 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest about the VT average	30 minHighest 28% above VT
Work from home	16.4%±4.4Highest VT: 16.9%	6.1%±2.7Lowest VT: 16.9%
Schools
School district	—	Kingdom East Unified Union School District #64
High school in town	—	None in town
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.