Compare towns
Foster vs Scituate vs Windham
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
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).
Windham has the most affordable homes ($210k 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.
| Measure | Foster | Scituate | Windham |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 4,523Lowest |
10,517 |
23,961Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+0.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
— |
| Median age | 47.1±3 21% above U.S. |
49.9±4Highest 28% above U.S. |
33.7±1.9Lowest 13% below U.S. |
| 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%±4.4 U.S.: 22% |
14.9%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22% |
20.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Windham and Foster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 18.5%±3.2 U.S.: 17.2% |
25.2%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
14.3%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Scituate and Foster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
34.7% U.S.: 35.7% |
22.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.2%±1.7 U.S.: 6.4% |
15.2%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $113,646±$18kHighest 41% above U.S. |
$112,315±$23k 39% above U.S. |
$55,736±$5kLowest 31% below U.S. |
| 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±$30k 28% above U.S. |
$449,300±$26kHighest 35% above U.S. |
$209,800±$9kLowest 37% below U.S. |
| Scituate and Foster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,509±$556Highest 7% above U.S. |
$1,489±$251 5% above U.S. |
$1,107±$69Lowest 22% below U.S. |
| 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 129% above U.S. |
$5,265 69% above U.S. |
$4,633Lowest 49% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 65.8%±25.5Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
59.6%±25.9 U.S.: 51.1% |
57.1%±8.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| 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 U.S.: 12.5% |
5% U.S.: 12.5% |
20.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 91.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
87.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
47.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S. |
1966 14 yrs older than U.S. |
1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 33 minHighest 26% above U.S. |
31 min 16% above U.S. |
24 minLowest 8% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 17.7%±4.9Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
13.3%±5.1 U.S.: 15.1% |
6.1%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Foster and Scituate 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 | #143 of 149 in CT |
| School district | Foster | Scituate | Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Eastern Connecticut Regional Educational Service Center (EAS |
| High school in town | None in town | Scituate High School | Windham High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 10.8Highest |
9.8Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 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.