What stands out worked out from the figures below

Plainville has the most people working from home (10.7%).

East Haven has the most expensive homes ($294k 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	Plainville	East Haven
People
Population	17,551Lowest	27,806Highest
Median age	44.3±1.5Lowest 8% above CT	45.7±2.5Highest 11% above CT
	East Haven 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%	16.8%±2.2Highest CT: 20.2%
	East Haven 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%	20.5%±1.9Highest CT: 18.5%
	East Haven 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%Highest CT: 42.5%	25.8%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.6Highest CT: 7.1%	5.1%±1Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Plainville and East Haven 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	$94,628±$9kHighest about the CT average
	East Haven 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	$294,200±$12kHighest 20% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,126±$147Lowest 24% below CT	$1,528±$132Highest about the CT average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,798Lowest 28% below CT	$5,122Highest 23% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.3%±12.4Lowest CT: 52.6%	58.9%±9.9Highest CT: 52.6%
	East Haven and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.5%Lowest CT: 10%	7.2%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%	74.6%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 4 yrs newer than CT	1967Lowest same as CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 20% below CT	24 minHighest 9% below CT
Work from home	10.7%±2Highest CT: 16%	9%±2.1Lowest CT: 16%
	Plainville and East Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#89 of 149 in CT	#127 of 149 in CT
School district	Judicial Centers · Plainville School District	East Haven School District
High school in town	Plainville High School	East Haven High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Lowest	12.0Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.