What stands out worked out from the figures below

Alford has the most people working from home (22.2%).

Woonsocket has the most kids (23.3% under 18).

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	Alford	Woonsocket
People
Population	433Lowest	43,521Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+5% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	63.1±2.4Highest 62% above U.S.	35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S.
Kids under 18	5.1%±6.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	43%±4.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	63.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	19.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Woonsocket and Alford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$121,042±$11kHighest 50% above U.S.	$61,059±$5kLowest 24% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$794,400±$144kHighest 139% above U.S.	$311,000±$15kLowest 7% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,750±$1kHighest 24% above U.S.	$1,161±$48Lowest 18% below U.S.
	Alford and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,913Lowest 25% above U.S.	$3,960Highest 27% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.7%±5.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Woonsocket and Alford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	18.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 3% below U.S.	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	22.2%±6.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#37 of 38 in RI
School district	—	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket
High school in town	—	Woonsocket High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	15.2
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.