What stands out worked out from the figures below

Winchester has the oldest population (median age 49.1).

Plainville has the most people working from home (10.7%).

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	Winchester	Plainville
People
Population	10,284Lowest	17,551Highest
Median age	49.1±6.2Highest 19% above CT	44.3±1.5Lowest 8% above CT
	Winchester and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.4%±2.9Lowest CT: 20.2%	15.6%±2.3Highest CT: 20.2%
	Plainville and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.4%±5.1Highest CT: 18.5%	20.1%±2.8Lowest CT: 18.5%
	Winchester and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.8%Lowest CT: 42.5%	30%Highest CT: 42.5%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.7Lowest CT: 7.1%	6.2%±1.6Highest CT: 7.1%
	Plainville and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,519±$12kLowest 31% below CT	$84,343±$7kHighest 12% below CT
	Plainville and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$249,500±$17kLowest 32% below CT	$254,000±$14kHighest 31% below CT
	Plainville and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,174±$116Highest 21% below CT	$1,126±$147Lowest 24% below CT
	Winchester and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,780Lowest 28% below CT	$4,798Highest 28% below CT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.9%±15.8Highest CT: 52.6%	40.3%±12.4Lowest CT: 52.6%
	Winchester and Plainville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.8%Highest CT: 10%	6.5%Lowest CT: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	65.8%Lowest CT: 66.5%	67.7%Highest CT: 66.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 12 yrs older than CT	1971Highest 4 yrs newer than CT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the CT average	21 minLowest 20% below CT
Work from home	6.9%±2.7Lowest CT: 16%	10.7%±2Highest CT: 16%
	Plainville and Winchester 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	#97 of 149 in CT	#89 of 149 in CT
School district	Explorations District · Regional School District 07	Judicial Centers · Plainville School District
High school in town	Northwestern Regional High School	Plainville High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.7Lowest	11.4Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.