What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sheldon has the most expensive homes ($272k median).

Plainfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.8%).

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	Sheldon	Plainfield
People
Population	2,267Highest	1,016Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.9±3.5Highest 5% above U.S.	34.5±6.6Lowest 11% below U.S.
	Sheldon and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.7%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%	15.6%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	12.6%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	14.5%±2.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Plainfield and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	28.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	14.9%±11.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,533±$25kHighest about the U.S. average	$70,673±$6kLowest 12% below U.S.
	Sheldon and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,400±$61kHighest 18% below U.S.	$155,100±$17kLowest 53% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,286±$379Highest 9% below U.S.	$750±$207Lowest 47% below U.S.
	Sheldon and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,578Highest 15% above U.S.	$2,667Lowest 14% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±27Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	40.6%±43.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Plainfield and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	87.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 5% below U.S.	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	13%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.5%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sheldon and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Northern Mountain Valley Unified Union School District #85	—
High school in town	None in town	—
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.