What stands out worked out from the figures below

Whiting has the most kids (23.5% under 18).

Plainfield has the most people working from home (16.4%).

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	Whiting	Plainfield
People
Population	532Lowest	1,314Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-0.6% VT: +2.8%
Median age	39.6±2.7Lowest 8% below VT	48.1±5.5Highest 12% above VT
Kids under 18	23.5%±6.9Highest VT: 17.9%	16.3%±4.7Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Whiting and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13%±5.1Lowest VT: 21.4%	21.1%±3.5Highest VT: 21.4%
	Plainfield and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.9%Lowest VT: 43.8%	48.2%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±4Highest VT: 7%	2.1%±1.3Lowest VT: 7%
	Whiting and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,250±$38kHighest 12% above VT	$69,250±$31kLowest 15% below VT
	Whiting and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$280,400±$36kLowest 11% below VT	$318,400±$34kHighest about the VT average
	Plainfield and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,204±$519Highest about the VT average	$1,153±$103Lowest 7% below VT
	Whiting and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,227Lowest 16% below VT	$4,806Highest 5% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.3%±37.3Lowest VT: 48.4%	73.2%±53.9Highest VT: 48.4%
	Plainfield and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%	11.6%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	65.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%	80.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 1 yr older than VT	1955Lowest 21 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 7% below VT	24 minHighest about the VT average
Work from home	10%±5.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	16.4%±4.4Highest VT: 16.9%
	Plainfield and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Otter Valley Unified Union School District #53	—
High school in town	None in town	—
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.