What stands out worked out from the figures below

Burrillville has the most expensive homes ($384k median).

Sterling has the most affordable homes ($283k 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	Burrillville	Sterling
People
Population	16,427Highest	3,629Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.3% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	45.1±4.6Highest 16% above U.S.	39.4±5.9Lowest about the U.S. average
	Burrillville and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.1%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.8%±5.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sterling and Burrillville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.3%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	13%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	18%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.7%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Burrillville and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,813±$16kHighest 48% above U.S.	$102,695±$12kLowest 27% above U.S.
	Burrillville and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$384,400±$18kHighest 16% above U.S.	$283,400±$17kLowest 15% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,206±$251 15% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,667Highest 50% above U.S.	$4,551Lowest 46% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.1%±14.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	32%±18.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Burrillville and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	81.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minLowest 33% above U.S.	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.
Work from home	11.5%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	11.6%±6.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sterling and Burrillville 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	#30 of 38 in RI	#119 of 149 in CT
School district	Burrillville	Sterling School District
High school in town	Burrillville High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	12.0	—
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.