What stands out worked out from the figures below

Watertown has the most expensive homes ($334k median).

Plainville has the most affordable homes ($254k 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	Watertown	Plainville
People
Population	22,253Highest	17,551Lowest
Median age	46.3±2.9Highest 13% above CT	44.3±1.5Lowest 8% above CT
	Watertown and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.7%±2.6Highest CT: 20.2%	15.6%±2.3Lowest CT: 20.2%
	Watertown and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.3%±2.8Highest CT: 18.5%	20.1%±2.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Watertown and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38.6%Highest CT: 42.5%	30%Lowest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.4Lowest CT: 7.1%	6.2%±1.6Highest CT: 7.1%
	Plainville and Watertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$101,691±$7kHighest 6% above CT	$84,343±$7kLowest 12% below CT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$333,500±$16kHighest 9% below CT	$254,000±$14kLowest 31% below CT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,275±$227Highest 14% below CT	$1,126±$147Lowest 24% below CT
	Watertown and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,014Highest 9% below CT	$4,798Lowest 28% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.6%±13.3Highest CT: 52.6%	40.3%±12.4Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Watertown and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.3%Lowest CT: 10%	6.5%Highest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.9%Highest CT: 66.5%	67.7%Lowest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 2 yrs newer than CT	1971Highest 4 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 10% below CT	21 minLowest 20% below CT
Work from home	10.1%±2.3Lowest CT: 16%	10.7%±2Highest CT: 16%
	Plainville and Watertown 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	#126 of 149 in CT	#89 of 149 in CT
School district	Watertown School District	Judicial Centers · Plainville School District
High school in town	Watertown High School	Plainville High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	11.4Highest
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.