What stands out worked out from the figures below

Foster has the most people working from home (17.7%).

Sterling has the most affordable homes ($283k 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	Foster	Sterling
People
Population	4,523Highest	3,629Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	47.1±3Highest 21% above U.S.	39.4±5.9Lowest about the U.S. average
	Foster and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.7%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.8%±5.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sterling and Foster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.5%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	13%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Foster and Sterling 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%	18%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.7%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Foster and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$113,646±$18kHighest 41% above U.S.	$102,695±$12kLowest 27% above U.S.
	Foster and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$425,300±$30kHighest 28% above U.S.	$283,400±$17kLowest 15% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,509±$556 7% above U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,135Highest 129% above U.S.	$4,551Lowest 46% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	65.8%±25.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	32%±18.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Foster and Sterling 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%	8.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	81.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 26% above U.S.	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.
Work from home	17.7%±4.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.6%±6.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Foster and Sterling 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	#119 of 149 in CT
School district	Foster	Sterling School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.