What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bradford has the most kids (23% under 18).

Westerly has the oldest population (median age 50.4).

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	Bradford	Westerly
People
Population	1,511Lowest	18,411Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Highest RI: +4.3%	+2.7%Lowest RI: +4.3%
Median age	35±15Lowest 14% below RI	50.4±2.3Highest 24% above RI
	Westerly and Bradford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23%±13.3Highest RI: 18.8%	14.4%±2.4Lowest RI: 18.8%
	Bradford and Westerly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14%±11Lowest RI: 18.7%	25.2%±2.8Highest RI: 18.7%
	Westerly and Bradford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.1%Lowest RI: 37.7%	43.3%Highest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±5.5Lowest RI: 8.3%	5.2%±1.8Highest RI: 8.3%
	Westerly and Bradford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$120,250±$26kHighest 37% above RI	$95,207±$8kLowest 8% above RI
	Bradford and Westerly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$418,100±$90kLowest 3% above RI	$448,800±$15kHighest 11% above RI
	Westerly and Bradford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,260±$132 6% below RI
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,667Lowest 46% below RI	$3,784Highest 23% below RI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.4%±65.9Highest RI: 48%	46.2%±9.8Lowest RI: 48%
	Bradford and Westerly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.3%Lowest RI: 11.2%	5.7%Highest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.5%Highest RI: 63.6%	71.4%Lowest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972 10 yrs newer than RI	1972 10 yrs newer than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 16% above RI	23 minLowest 10% below RI
Work from home	12%±11.4Highest RI: 13%	10.4%±2.8Lowest RI: 13%
	Bradford and Westerly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#25 of 38 in RI
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.