What stands out worked out from the figures below

Everett has grown the fastest since 2010 (+17.8%).

Pawtucket has the most affordable homes ($326k 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	Everett	Pawtucket
People
Population	50,045Lowest	75,893Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+17.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	35.2±1.5Lowest 10% below U.S.	37.1±0.8Highest 5% below U.S.
	Pawtucket and Everett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.8%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.4%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Pawtucket and Everett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	11.3%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	14.5%±1.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	22.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.3%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Everett and Pawtucket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$85,218±$7kHighest 6% above U.S.	$68,310±$4kLowest 15% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$610,000±$23kHighest 83% above U.S.	$325,500±$8kLowest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,076±$69Highest 47% above U.S.	$1,208±$39Lowest 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,880Highest 56% above U.S.	$4,115Lowest 32% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.4%±5.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	45.9%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	14.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	13.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	50.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1947Highest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 33% above U.S.	26 minLowest 3% below U.S.
Work from home	10.5%±2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.2%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Everett and Pawtucket 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	#264 of 282 in MA	#35 of 38 in RI
School district	Everett	Blackstone Academy · Pawtucket
High school in town	Everett High	William E. Tolman High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Lowest	14.6Highest
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.