What stands out worked out from the figures below

Central Falls has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.6%).

Scituate has the most homeowners (87.3%).

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	Central Falls	Scituate
People
Population	22,701Highest	10,517Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+16.6%Highest RI: +4.3%	+0.5%Lowest RI: +4.3%
Median age	32.5±2.3Lowest 20% below RI	49.9±4Highest 23% above RI
Kids under 18	26.1%±3.7Highest RI: 18.8%	14.9%±3.3Lowest RI: 18.8%
Age 65+	10.7%±2Lowest RI: 18.7%	25.2%±4.3Highest RI: 18.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	10.8%Lowest RI: 37.7%	34.7%Highest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1.7Highest RI: 8.3%	4.2%±1.7Lowest RI: 8.3%
	Central Falls and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$49,285±$8kLowest 44% below RI	$112,315±$23kHighest 28% above RI
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$352,100±$30kLowest 13% below RI	$449,300±$26kHighest 11% above RI
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,200±$75Lowest 11% below RI	$1,489±$251Highest 11% above RI
	Scituate and Central Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,744Lowest 24% below RI	$5,265Highest 7% above RI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.7%±8.2Lowest RI: 48%	59.6%±25.9Highest RI: 48%
	Scituate and Central Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	24.6%Highest RI: 11.2%	5%Lowest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	25.6%Lowest RI: 63.6%	87.3%Highest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1944Lowest 18 yrs older than RI	1966Highest 4 yrs newer than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 7% above RI	31 minHighest 20% above RI
Work from home	5.2%±2Lowest RI: 13%	13.3%±5.1Highest RI: 13%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#38 of 38 in RI	#17 of 38 in RI
School district	Learning Community · Segue Institute for Learning	Scituate
High school in town	Central Falls Sr High	Scituate High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.6Highest	10.8Lowest
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.