What stands out worked out from the figures below

Plainville has the most affordable homes ($254k median).

Barkhamsted has the most people working from home (20.3%).

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	Barkhamsted
People
Population	17,551Highest	3,678Lowest
Median age	44.3±1.5Lowest 8% above CT	50.2±3.3Highest 22% above CT
Kids under 18	15.6%±2.3Lowest CT: 20.2%	16.4%±3.9Highest CT: 20.2%
	Barkhamsted and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.1%±2.8Lowest CT: 18.5%	27.2%±7.1Highest CT: 18.5%
	Barkhamsted and Plainville 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%	54.3%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.6Highest CT: 7.1%	5.3%±2.7Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Plainville and Barkhamsted 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	$123,544±$9kHighest 29% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$254,000±$14kLowest 31% below CT	$368,000±$15kHighest about the CT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,126±$147Lowest 24% below CT	$1,164±$114Highest 22% below CT
	Barkhamsted 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	$6,354Highest 4% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.3%±12.4Highest CT: 52.6%	28.8%±35.4Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Plainville and Barkhamsted 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%	3.6%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%	92.9%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 4 yrs newer than CT	1978Highest 11 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 20% below CT	28 minHighest 6% above CT
Work from home	10.7%±2Lowest CT: 16%	20.3%±7.1Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#89 of 149 in CT	#63 of 149 in CT
School district	Judicial Centers · Plainville School District	Barkhamsted 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.