What stands out worked out from the figures below

Danvers has the most people working from home (19.3%).

Woonsocket has the most affordable homes ($311k 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	Danvers	Woonsocket
People
Population	28,098Lowest	43,521Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±3Highest 16% above U.S.	35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S.
Kids under 18	17.2%±2Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	22.6%±2.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	19.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Woonsocket and Danvers are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$125,395±$10kHighest 55% above U.S.	$61,059±$5kLowest 24% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$644,200±$23kHighest 94% above U.S.	$311,000±$15kLowest 7% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,076±$192Highest 47% above U.S.	$1,161±$48Lowest 18% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,654Highest 113% above U.S.	$3,960Lowest 27% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.8%±8.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Danvers and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	18.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Highest 17 yrs older than U.S.	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 8% above U.S.	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	19.3%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#91 of 282 in MA	#37 of 38 in RI
School district	Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School District · Danvers	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket
High school in town	Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School	Woonsocket High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Lowest	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.