Compare towns
Foster vs Scituate vs Smithfield
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Rhode Island.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Foster has the most people working from home (17.7%).
Scituate has the oldest population (median age 49.9).
Smithfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.2%).
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.
| Measure | Foster | Scituate | Smithfield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 4,523Lowest |
10,517 |
22,233Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3%Lowest RI: +4.3% |
+0.5% RI: +4.3% |
+3.2%Highest RI: +4.3% |
| Median age | 47.1±3 16% above RI |
49.9±4Highest 23% above RI |
41.8±2.6Lowest about the RI average |
| Scituate and Foster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 18.7%±4.4Highest RI: 18.8% |
14.9%±3.3Lowest RI: 18.8% |
16.9%±2.4 RI: 18.8% |
| Foster and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 18.5%±3.2Lowest RI: 18.7% |
25.2%±4.3Highest RI: 18.7% |
21.1%±2.1 RI: 18.7% |
| Scituate and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 36.9% RI: 37.7% |
34.7%Lowest RI: 37.7% |
40%Highest RI: 37.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±2.2Lowest RI: 8.3% |
4.2%±1.7 RI: 8.3% |
16.7%±0.9Highest RI: 8.3% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $113,646±$18kHighest 29% above RI |
$112,315±$23k 28% above RI |
$102,077±$8kLowest 16% above RI |
| Foster and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $425,300±$30kLowest 5% above RI |
$449,300±$26kHighest 11% above RI |
$446,400±$12k 10% above RI |
| Scituate and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,509±$556Highest 12% above RI |
$1,489±$251 11% above RI |
$1,016±$241Lowest 24% below RI |
| Foster and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $7,135Highest 46% above RI |
$5,265 7% above RI |
$5,207Lowest 6% above RI |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 65.8%±25.5Highest RI: 48% |
59.6%±25.9 RI: 48% |
57.1%±17.7Lowest RI: 48% |
| Foster and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 4.7%Lowest RI: 11.2% |
5% RI: 11.2% |
6.2%Highest RI: 11.2% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 91.4%Highest RI: 63.6% |
87.3% RI: 63.6% |
81.6%Lowest RI: 63.6% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1975 13 yrs newer than RI |
1966Lowest 4 yrs newer than RI |
1976Highest 14 yrs newer than RI |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 33 minHighest 30% above RI |
31 min 20% above RI |
25 minLowest 4% below RI |
| Work from home | 17.7%±4.9Highest RI: 13% |
13.3%±5.1Lowest RI: 13% |
14%±3.1 RI: 13% |
| Foster and Smithfield 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 | #22 of 38 in RI | #17 of 38 in RI | #8 of 38 in RI |
| School district | Foster | Scituate | Smithfield |
| High school in town | None in town | Scituate High School | Smithfield High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 10.8Lowest |
11.8Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet |
RI 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.