What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Washington has the most expensive homes ($660k 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	Washington
People
Population	17,551Highest	3,676Lowest
Median age	44.3±1.5Lowest 8% above CT	49.9±5.5Highest 21% above CT
	Washington 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%	19%±4.7Highest CT: 20.2%
	Washington 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%	26.9%±5.3Highest CT: 18.5%
	Washington 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%	53.7%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.6Lowest CT: 7.1%	6.4%±3.3Highest CT: 7.1%
	Washington and Plainville 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	$101,549±$16kHighest 6% above CT
	Washington 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	$660,200±$130kHighest 80% above CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,126±$147Lowest 24% below CT	$1,204±$264Highest 19% below CT
	Washington and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,798Highest 28% below CT	$4,709Lowest 29% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.3%±12.4Highest CT: 52.6%	26.1%±24Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Plainville and Washington 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%	9%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%	79%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971 4 yrs newer than CT	1971 4 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 20% below CT	26 minHighest 4% below CT
Work from home	10.7%±2Lowest CT: 16%	20.1%±9Highest CT: 16%
	Washington 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	#17 of 149 in CT
School district	Judicial Centers · Plainville School District	Regional School District 12
High school in town	Plainville High School	Shepaug Valley School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Highest	9.1Lowest
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.