What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Smithfield has the most expensive homes ($446k 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	Smithfield
People
Population	17,551Lowest	22,233Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.2% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.3±1.5Highest 14% above U.S.	41.8±2.6Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Plainville and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.6%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	16.9%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Smithfield 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 U.S.: 17.2%	21.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Smithfield 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%	40%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	16.7%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,343±$7kLowest 4% above U.S.	$102,077±$8kHighest 26% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$254,000±$14kLowest 24% below U.S.	$446,400±$12kHighest 34% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,126±$147Highest 20% below U.S.	$1,016±$241Lowest 28% below U.S.
	Plainville and Smithfield 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.	$5,207Highest 67% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.3%±12.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.1%±17.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Smithfield 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 U.S.: 12.5%	6.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	81.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 20% below U.S.	25 minHighest 7% below U.S.
Work from home	10.7%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Smithfield and Plainville 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	#8 of 38 in RI
School district	Judicial Centers · Plainville School District	Smithfield
High school in town	Plainville High School	Smithfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Lowest	11.8Highest
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.