What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.4%).

Smithfield has the most homeowners (81.6%).

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	Boston	Smithfield
People
Population	666,442Highest	22,233Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	33.3±0.2Lowest 14% below U.S.	41.8±2.6Highest 7% above U.S.
Kids under 18	15.1%±0.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	16.9%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Smithfield and Boston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13%±0.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	21.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	40%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±0.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	16.7%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,344±$2kLowest 21% above U.S.	$102,077±$8kHighest 26% above U.S.
	Smithfield and Boston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$731,700±$10kHighest 120% above U.S.	$446,400±$12kLowest 34% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,147±$25Highest 52% above U.S.	$1,016±$241Lowest 28% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,456Lowest 43% above U.S.	$5,207Highest 67% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.1%±17.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Smithfield and Boston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	81.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.
Work from home	21.3%±0.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#258 of 282 in MA	#8 of 38 in RI
School district	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston	Smithfield
High school in town	Boston Latin School	Smithfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	18.7Highest	11.8Lowest
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.