Compare towns
Coventry vs Fall River vs Sterling vs Smithfield
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Coventry has the oldest population (median age 44).
Fall River has the most renters (64.7% rent).
Sterling has the most affordable homes ($283k median).
Smithfield has the most people working from home (14%).
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.
| Measure | Coventry | Fall River | Sterling | Smithfield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 35,907 |
94,082Highest |
3,629Lowest |
22,233 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +1.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+5.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
— | +3.2% U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 44±1.1Highest 13% above U.S. |
39.3±1.2Lowest about the U.S. average |
39.4±5.9 about the U.S. average |
41.8±2.6 7% above U.S. |
| Coventry and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 18.2%±1.8 U.S.: 22% |
19.9%±1.2 U.S.: 22% |
22.8%±5.9Highest U.S.: 22% |
16.9%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Sterling and Fall River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 19.2%±1.6 U.S.: 17.2% |
16.1%±0.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
13%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
21.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Smithfield and Coventry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 31.2% U.S.: 35.7% |
16.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
18% U.S.: 35.7% |
40%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±1.2 U.S.: 6.4% |
4.1%±0.6 U.S.: 6.4% |
3.7%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
16.7%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $102,946±$8kHighest 28% above U.S. |
$56,673±$3kLowest 30% below U.S. |
$102,695±$12k 27% above U.S. |
$102,077±$8k 26% above U.S. |
| Coventry and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $356,200±$11k 7% above U.S. |
$395,500±$11k 19% above U.S. |
$283,400±$17kLowest 15% below U.S. |
$446,400±$12kHighest 34% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,206±$155Highest 15% below U.S. |
$1,155±$27 18% below U.S. |
— | $1,016±$241Lowest 28% below U.S. |
| Coventry and Fall River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,099 63% above U.S. |
$3,953Lowest 27% above U.S. |
$4,551 46% above U.S. |
$5,207Highest 67% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.5%±11.1 U.S.: 51.1% |
52.5%±3.3 U.S.: 51.1% |
32%±18.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
57.1%±17.7Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Smithfield and Fall River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 7.4% U.S.: 12.5% |
19.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
8.3% U.S.: 12.5% |
6.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
35.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
81.1% U.S.: 65.2% |
81.6% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1973 7 yrs older than U.S. |
1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S. |
1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S. |
1976 4 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 26 min about the U.S. average |
26 min about the U.S. average |
35 minHighest 34% above U.S. |
25 minLowest 7% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 11.3%±2.2 U.S.: 15.1% |
7.1%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
11.6%±6.4 U.S.: 15.1% |
14%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Smithfield and Sterling 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 | #24 of 38 in RI | #262 of 282 in MA | #119 of 149 in CT | #8 of 38 in RI |
| School district | Coventry | Fall River · Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical | Sterling School District | Smithfield |
| High school in town | Coventry High School | B M C Durfee High | None in town | Smithfield High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.3Highest |
11.3Lowest |
— | 11.8 |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | 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.