What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Easthampton has the most people working from home (19%).

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	Easthampton
People
Population	17,551Highest	16,086Lowest
Median age	44.3±1.5Lowest 14% above U.S.	46±2.6Highest 18% above U.S.
	Easthampton and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.6%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%	15.5%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Plainville and Easthampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.1%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	23.9%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Easthampton 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 U.S.: 35.7%	38%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	6.1%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Plainville and Easthampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,343±$7kHighest 4% above U.S.	$71,673±$7kLowest 11% below U.S.
	Plainville and Easthampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$254,000±$14kLowest 24% below U.S.	$371,500±$15kHighest 12% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,126±$147Lowest 20% below U.S.	$1,292±$70Highest 9% below U.S.
	Easthampton and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,798Lowest 54% above U.S.	$4,932Highest 58% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.3%±12.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	45.5%±10.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Easthampton 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 U.S.: 12.5%	8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 20% below U.S.	22 minHighest 16% below U.S.
Work from home	10.7%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19%±3.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#89 of 149 in CT	#92 of 282 in MA
School district	Judicial Centers · Plainville School District	Easthampton
High school in town	Plainville High School	Easthampton High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Highest	9.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.