What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waltham has the highest household income ($98k).

Plainfield has the most kids (16.3% under 18).

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	Waltham	Plainfield
People
Population	452Lowest	1,314Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-0.6% VT: +2.8%
Median age	60.8±7.3Highest 41% above VT	48.1±5.5Lowest 12% above VT
	Waltham and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.8%±7.4Lowest VT: 17.9%	16.3%±4.7Highest VT: 17.9%
	Plainfield and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	45.4%±3.1Highest VT: 21.4%	21.1%±3.5Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39%Lowest VT: 43.8%	48.2%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±2.1Highest VT: 7%	2.1%±1.3Lowest VT: 7%
	Waltham and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,500±$14kHighest 20% above VT	$69,250±$31kLowest 15% below VT
	Waltham and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$329,700±$51kHighest 4% above VT	$318,400±$34kLowest about the VT average
	Waltham and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$113Lowest 11% below VT	$1,153±$103Highest 7% below VT
	Plainfield and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,714Highest 13% above VT	$4,806Lowest 5% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.2%±58.6Lowest VT: 48.4%	73.2%±53.9Highest VT: 48.4%
	Plainfield and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%	11.6%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.3%Highest VT: 73.2%	80.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 10 yrs newer than VT	1955Lowest 21 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 18% above VT	24 minLowest about the VT average
Work from home	20.6%±5.7Highest VT: 16.9%	16.4%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Waltham and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

VT 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.