What stands out worked out from the figures below

Coventry has the highest household income ($103k).

Gardner has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.2%).

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	Coventry	Gardner
People
Population	35,907Highest	21,148Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44±1.1Highest 13% above U.S.	43.7±2.3Lowest 12% above U.S.
	Coventry and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.2%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.3%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Gardner and Coventry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.2%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19.6%±2.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Gardner 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%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	23.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.6%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Coventry and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,946±$8kHighest 28% above U.S.	$67,518±$8kLowest 16% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$356,200±$11kHighest 7% above U.S.	$301,600±$20kLowest 9% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,206±$155Highest 15% below U.S.	$1,109±$51Lowest 22% below U.S.
	Coventry and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,099Highest 63% above U.S.	$4,150Lowest 33% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.5%±11.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	49.7%±8.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Coventry and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1954Lowest 26 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.
Work from home	11.3%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13.3%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Gardner and Coventry 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	#273 of 282 in MA
School district	Coventry	Gardner
High school in town	Coventry High School	Gardner High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.3Lowest	13.5Highest
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.