Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Plainfield’s average trip to work is 38 minutes, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 30 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. No town among the 284 in Massachusetts we compare has a higher share of households owning their home than Plainfield. 38% of the land in Plainfield is conserved, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. The biggest place to walk is West Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, 1,671 acres with 2.7 miles of trail. Plainfield has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Plainfield beats most towns.
Census counts: 458 in 1790, a low of 228 in 1950, 633 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1891 and 6 maps from 1886 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Plainfield. Close and well known come first.
15 mi MountainMount Greylock
33 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
33 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
23 mi TheatreTanglewood
36 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
20 mi MuseumClark Art InstituteMount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 3.0 · Springfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · Tanglewood: Daderot., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · Clark Art Institute: Daderot, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Plainfield, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Plainfield.
The typical Plainfield home is worth about $318,000, up 4.2% in a year, 51% below the Massachusetts typical home. The median rent in Plainfield is $1,292 a month.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
11 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. Plainfield’s trail density is 0.5 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. West Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary | 2.7 mi | 1,671 |
| 2. Kenneth Dubuque Memorial State Forest | 2.1 mi | 1,226 |
| 3. Guyette Farm Conservation Area | 0.9 mi | 105 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Most working residents leave Plainfield for work: only 3% work in town. 17% of residents live below the poverty line in Plainfield. Jobs based in Plainfield grew to 71 in 2023, 47 more than in 2013.
| Plainfield | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.5% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 12% of residents (24% statewide); people 65 and older are 30% of residents (18% statewide). 53% of Plainfield adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Plainfield has grown 2.1% since 2020, to 643 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Plainfield | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 50.6 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 53% | 47% | 29% |
55% women, 45% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±8.8 points. Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Plainfield | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.3% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.7% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 6.5% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.1% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.8% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 17.4% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.2% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.4% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.1% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 13.2% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.8% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.4% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 31.2% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 600, single groups can be off by several points
Only 7 of the 284 Massachusetts towns we compare have a lower July high than Plainfield. Plainfield has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Plainfield beats the Massachusetts average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6.
| Plainfield | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 28% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 85% | 82% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 36% |
| What stands out | Plainfield | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.3% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.3% | 12.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.6% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 55% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Plainfield; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Plainfield residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Plainfield is a town on the northwestern edge of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, about 25 miles east of Pittsfield and 30 miles northwest of Northampton. The population was 633 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Plainfield has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
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