What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boston has the most people working from home (21.3%).

Woonsocket has the most affordable homes ($311k median).

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	Woonsocket
People
Population	666,442Highest	43,521Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	33.3±0.2Lowest 14% below U.S.	35.7±1.3Highest 8% below U.S.
Kids under 18	15.1%±0.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	13%±0.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	14.7%±1.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Woonsocket and Boston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	19.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±0.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,344±$2kHighest 21% above U.S.	$61,059±$5kLowest 24% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$731,700±$10kHighest 120% above U.S.	$311,000±$15kLowest 7% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,147±$25Highest 52% above U.S.	$1,161±$48Lowest 18% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,456Highest 43% above U.S.	$3,960Lowest 27% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Boston and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	18.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	37.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1952Highest 28 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	21.3%±0.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#258 of 282 in MA	#37 of 38 in RI
School district	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket
High school in town	Boston Latin School	Woonsocket High School
Students per teacherat that high school	18.7Highest	15.2Lowest
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.