What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barrington has the most people working from home (22.1%).

Woonsocket has the most renters (62.8% rent).

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	Barrington	Woonsocket
People
Population	17,126Lowest	43,521Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.2%Highest RI: +4.3%	+5%Lowest RI: +4.3%
Median age	43.8±1.1Highest 8% above RI	35.7±1.3Lowest 12% below RI
Kids under 18	26.5%±2.5Highest RI: 18.8%	23.3%±2Lowest RI: 18.8%
	Barrington and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.4%±1.8Highest RI: 18.7%	14.7%±1.4Lowest RI: 18.7%
	Barrington and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	73%Highest RI: 37.7%	19.8%Lowest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±1.3Highest RI: 8.3%	5.1%±0.9Lowest RI: 8.3%
	Barrington and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$153,198±$9kHighest 74% above RI	$61,059±$5kLowest 30% below RI
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$644,100±$25kHighest 59% above RI	$311,000±$15kLowest 23% below RI
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,943±$505Highest 45% above RI	$1,161±$48Lowest 13% below RI
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,656Highest 97% above RI	$3,960Lowest 19% below RI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.4%±10Highest RI: 48%	46.7%±5.4Lowest RI: 48%
	Barrington and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.5%Lowest RI: 11.2%	18.7%Highest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.5%Highest RI: 63.6%	37.2%Lowest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Highest 6 yrs older than RI	1952Lowest 10 yrs older than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 16% above RI	29 minLowest 15% above RI
Work from home	22.1%±3.3Highest RI: 13%	6.4%±1.7Lowest RI: 13%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#1 of 38 in RI	#37 of 38 in RI
School district	Barrington	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket
High school in town	Barrington High School	Woonsocket High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.6Lowest	15.2Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

RI 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.