What stands out worked out from the figures below

Plainville has the shortest commute (21 min average).

Ashford has the most people working from home (19.3%).

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	Plainville	Ashford
People
Population	17,551Highest	4,226Lowest
Median age	44.3±1.5Highest 8% above CT	37.9±10.3Lowest 8% below CT
	Plainville and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.6%±2.3Lowest CT: 20.2%	18.5%±5.5Highest CT: 20.2%
	Ashford and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.1%±2.8Highest CT: 18.5%	18.9%±3.7Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Plainville and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30%Lowest CT: 42.5%	35.3%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.6Highest CT: 7.1%	4.4%±1.7Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Plainville and Ashford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,343±$7kLowest 12% below CT	$121,926±$23kHighest 27% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$254,000±$14kLowest 31% below CT	$334,800±$18kHighest 9% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,126±$147Lowest 24% below CT	$1,246±$208Highest 16% below CT
	Ashford and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,798Lowest 28% below CT	$6,982Highest 5% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.3%±12.4Lowest CT: 52.6%	47%±26Highest CT: 52.6%
	Ashford and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.5%Highest CT: 10%	5.4%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%	76.8%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 4 yrs newer than CT	1982Highest 15 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 20% below CT	34 minHighest 30% above CT
Work from home	10.7%±2Lowest CT: 16%	19.3%±5.5Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#89 of 149 in CT	#90 of 149 in CT
School district	Judicial Centers · Plainville School District	Ashford School District
High school in town	Plainville High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

CT 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.