What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Winchester has the oldest population (median age 49.1).

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	Winchester
People
Population	17,551Highest	10,284Lowest
Median age	44.3±1.5Lowest 8% above CT	49.1±6.2Highest 19% above CT
	Winchester 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 CT: 20.2%	15.4%±2.9Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Plainville and Winchester 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%	27.4%±5.1Highest CT: 18.5%
	Winchester 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%	27.8%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.6Highest CT: 7.1%	4.2%±1.7Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Plainville and Winchester 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 12% below CT	$66,519±$12kLowest 31% below CT
	Plainville and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$254,000±$14kHighest 31% below CT	$249,500±$17kLowest 32% below CT
	Plainville and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,126±$147Lowest 24% below CT	$1,174±$116Highest 21% below CT
	Winchester 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	$4,780Lowest 28% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.3%±12.4Lowest CT: 52.6%	48.9%±15.8Highest CT: 52.6%
	Winchester 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%	12.8%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.7%Highest CT: 66.5%	65.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 4 yrs newer than CT	1955Lowest 12 yrs older than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 20% below CT	26 minHighest about the CT average
Work from home	10.7%±2Highest CT: 16%	6.9%±2.7Lowest CT: 16%
	Plainville and Winchester 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	#97 of 149 in CT
School district	Judicial Centers · Plainville School District	Explorations District · Regional School District 07
High school in town	Plainville High School	Northwestern Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Highest	9.7Lowest
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.