Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0In Plainfield, 89% of adult citizens voted for president in 2024, more than across Massachusetts
Plainfield’s town government spent $1.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $2,865 per resident.
What stands out about how Plainfield is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$2,582 per resident in 2022: more than 71% of them
Plainfield’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($2,582 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 34 Massachusetts towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $2,057, and the middle half spent $1,652–$2,676. Plainfield spent more than 71% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($34,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Massachusetts towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Plainfield itself left out).
About $2,865 per resident a year, or $7.85 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: roads & transportation, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 5% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Plainfield reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $2,582 · 2023: $2,865. Per resident it went from $2,582 to $2,865 (up 11%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 663 to 628.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $4,458 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.44% of the home’s value, vs 1.07% across Massachusetts.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Plainfield’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Plainfield’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Plainfield →
Who’s in charge in Plainfield
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 157 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (628).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Mohawk Trail School District
Plainfield’s K–12 school district, shared with Ashfield, Buckland, Colrain, Heath, Shelburne. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $29,406 per pupil, $15,801 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Massachusetts districts overall: 49% local, 43% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Plainfield voted in 2024
Official results for Plainfield’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat64.0%274 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican31.8%136 votesOthers: 4.2% (18 votes).
Most votes in Plainfield: Kamala D Harris
Hampshire County: Harris 69.2%, Trump 27.5% · Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%
of Plainfield’s 482 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Massachusetts: 67%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Plainfield: Elizabeth Ann Warren
Hampshire County: Warren 69.3%, Deaton 30.6% · Massachusetts: Warren 59.8%, Deaton 40.0%
Most votes in the district: Richard E Neal
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Plainfield, its county and the state
| Harris | Trump | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plainfield | 64.0% | 31.8% | 4.2% | 428 |
| Hampshire County | 69.2% | 27.5% | 3.4% | 84,720 |
| Massachusetts | 61.2% | 36.0% | 2.8% | 3,473,668 |
Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Plainfield.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2Massachusetts HouseState representatives
- 3Massachusetts SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Massachusetts
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Plainfield compares with the towns next door
Plainfield spent $2,582 per resident in 2022; the 5 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $1,830 to $3,818. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Cummington | $1,830 | $3,875 |
| Windsor | $2,203 | $3,867 |
| Hawley | $2,752 | $4,097 |
| Ashfield | $3,358 runs schools | $5,197 |
| Savoy | $3,818 runs schools | $2,966 |
| Plainfield | $2,582 | $4,458 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Plainfield’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Plainfield’s government
How much does Plainfield spend per resident?
About $2,865 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $2,582 was more than 71% of 34 Massachusetts towns and townships of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Plainfield?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $4,458 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.44% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.07% across Massachusetts. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Plainfield’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Plainfield yet.
How did Plainfield vote in 2024?
For president, Kamala D Harris 64.0%, Donald J Trump 31.8% (428 votes, official results). Hampshire County: Harris 69.2%, Trump 27.5%. Massachusetts: Harris 61.2%, Trump 36.0%.
How many people work for Plainfield?
4 full-time and 44 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $39,233 (about $470,796 a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Plainfield in the state legislature?
State Senate District Berkshire-Hampden-Franklin-Hampshire (Paul Mark) and State House District 1st Hampshire (Lindsay Sabadosa). The House district also covers eight other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Plainfield’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →