What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cheshire has the most homeowners (89%).

Woonsocket has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5%).

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	Cheshire	Woonsocket
People
Population	3,216Lowest	43,521Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.7±4.5Highest 38% above U.S.	35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S.
Kids under 18	15.3%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	30.5%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	19.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Woonsocket and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,803±$14kHighest 14% below U.S.	$61,059±$5kLowest 24% below U.S.
	Cheshire and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,200±$48kLowest 19% below U.S.	$311,000±$15kHighest 7% below U.S.
	Woonsocket and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,161±$48 18% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,005Lowest 4% below U.S.	$3,960Highest 27% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	21.2%±24Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.7%±5.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Woonsocket and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	18.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Highest 16 yrs older than U.S.	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 10% above U.S.	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	4.4%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	6.4%±1.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Woonsocket and Cheshire 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	#274 of 282 in MA	#37 of 38 in RI
School district	Hoosac Valley Regional	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket
High school in town	Hoosac Valley High School	Woonsocket High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Lowest	15.2Highest
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.