What stands out worked out from the figures below

Westfield has the most kids (27.1% under 18).

Plainfield has the shortest commute (24 min average).

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	1,314Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.4%Highest VT: +2.8%	-0.6%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	44±19.9Lowest about the VT average	48.1±5.5Highest 12% above VT
	Plainfield and Westfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	27.1%±5.1Highest VT: 17.9%	16.3%±4.7Lowest VT: 17.9%
Age 65+	29.7%±11.4Highest VT: 21.4%	21.1%±3.5Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Westfield and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%	48.2%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±2.5Highest VT: 7%	2.1%±1.3Lowest VT: 7%
	Westfield and Plainfield 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 11% below VT	$69,250±$31kLowest 15% below VT
	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±$47kLowest 5% below VT	$318,400±$34kHighest about the VT average
	Plainfield and Westfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$863±$187Lowest 30% below VT	$1,153±$103Highest 7% below VT
	Plainfield and Westfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,388Lowest 13% below VT	$4,806Highest 5% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±71.3Lowest VT: 48.4%	73.2%±53.9Highest VT: 48.4%
	Plainfield and Westfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.1%Highest VT: 10.1%	11.6%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.7%Highest VT: 73.2%	80.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 3 yrs older than VT	1955Lowest 21 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 29% above VT	24 minLowest about the VT average
Work from home	14.4%±6.5Lowest VT: 16.9%	16.4%±4.4Highest VT: 16.9%
	Plainfield and Westfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.