What stands out worked out from the figures below

Tolland has the most people working from home (20.6%).

Plainfield has the most affordable homes ($272k 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	Tolland	Plainfield
People
Population	14,606Lowest	15,141Highest
Median age	41.4±2.5Highest about the CT average	37±4.5Lowest 10% below CT
	Tolland and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.6%±3Highest CT: 20.2%	19.4%±2.6Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Tolland and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.3%±2.1Lowest CT: 18.5%	16.6%±2.4Highest CT: 18.5%
	Plainfield and Tolland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	56.2%Highest CT: 42.5%	15%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.4%±2.3Highest CT: 7.1%	5.6%±1.8Lowest CT: 7.1%
	Tolland and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$133,264±$16kHighest 39% above CT	$76,993±$8kLowest 20% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$365,500±$21kHighest about the CT average	$272,100±$16kLowest 26% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,680±$119Highest 13% above CT	$1,204±$70Lowest 19% below CT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,403Highest 11% above CT	$4,209Lowest 37% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	73.5%±62.4Highest CT: 52.6%	39.8%±9.5Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Tolland and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.3%Lowest CT: 10%	8.7%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.7%Highest CT: 66.5%	73.6%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 14 yrs newer than CT	1971Lowest 4 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 20% above CT	27 minLowest about the CT average
Work from home	20.6%±3.6Highest CT: 16%	10%±4Lowest CT: 16%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#60 of 149 in CT	#131 of 149 in CT
School district	Tolland School District	Plainfield School District
High school in town	Tolland High School	Plainfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.4Highest	10.3Lowest
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.