What stands out worked out from the figures below

Westfield has the most expensive homes ($301k 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	Westfield	Plainfield
People
Population	536Lowest	1,016Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44±19.9Highest 13% above U.S.	34.5±6.6Lowest 11% below U.S.
	Westfield and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	27.1%±5.1Highest U.S.: 22%	15.6%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	29.7%±11.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.5%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	28.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	14.9%±11.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Plainfield and Westfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$72,500±$30kHighest 10% below U.S.	$70,673±$6kLowest 12% below U.S.
	Westfield and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$301,400±$47kHighest 9% below U.S.	$155,100±$17kLowest 53% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$863±$187Highest 39% below U.S.	$750±$207Lowest 47% below U.S.
	Westfield and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,388Highest 41% above U.S.	$2,667Lowest 14% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±71.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	40.6%±43.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Westfield and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	87.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	14.4%±6.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.5%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Westfield 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

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.