What stands out worked out from the figures below

Plainville has the shortest commute (21 min average).

Beacon Falls 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	Beacon Falls
People
Population	17,551Highest	6,147Lowest
Median age	44.3±1.5Lowest 8% above CT	48.4±3.8Highest 18% above CT
	Beacon Falls and Plainville 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%±4.8Highest CT: 20.2%
	Beacon Falls 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%	23.5%±4.4Highest CT: 18.5%
	Beacon Falls 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%	44.6%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.6Highest CT: 7.1%	5.3%±3.2Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Plainville and Beacon Falls 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	$101,516±$42kHighest 6% above CT
	Beacon Falls and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$254,000±$14kLowest 31% below CT	$350,300±$34kHighest 5% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,126±$147Lowest 24% below CT	$1,921±$286Highest 29% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,798Lowest 28% below CT	$6,534Highest about the CT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.3%±12.4Lowest CT: 52.6%	50.7%±30.4Highest CT: 52.6%
	Beacon Falls 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%	2.1%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%	85.5%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 4 yrs newer than CT	1985Highest 18 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 20% below CT	33 minHighest 23% above CT
Work from home	10.7%±2Lowest CT: 16%	20.3%±7.4Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#89 of 149 in CT	#77 of 149 in CT
School district	Judicial Centers · Plainville School District	Regional School District 16
High school in town	Plainville High School	Woodland Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Highest	11.2Lowest
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.