What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Madison has the most people working from home (30.2%).

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	Madison
People
Population	17,551Lowest	17,616Highest
Median age	44.3±1.5Lowest 8% above CT	51.9±1.9Highest 26% above CT
Kids under 18	15.6%±2.3Lowest CT: 20.2%	18.1%±2.2Highest CT: 20.2%
	Madison 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%	25.2%±2.4Highest CT: 18.5%
	Madison 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%	72.4%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.6Highest CT: 7.1%	5.9%±1.5Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Plainville and Madison 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	$167,442±$16kHighest 75% above CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$254,000±$14kLowest 31% below CT	$583,900±$30kHighest 59% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,126±$147Lowest 24% below CT	$2,025±$741Highest 36% above CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,798Lowest 28% below CT	$8,843Highest 33% above CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.3%±12.4Lowest CT: 52.6%	44%±12.3Highest CT: 52.6%
	Madison 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%	3.6%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%	90.4%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 4 yrs newer than CT	1976Highest 9 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 20% below CT	30 minHighest 12% above CT
Work from home	10.7%±2Lowest CT: 16%	30.2%±5.3Highest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#89 of 149 in CT	#7 of 149 in CT
School district	Judicial Centers · Plainville School District	Madison School District
High school in town	Plainville High School	Daniel Hand High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Highest	9.8Lowest
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.