What stands out worked out from the figures below

Glocester has the most affordable homes ($397k median).

Andover has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.1%).

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	Glocester	Andover
People
Population	10,221Lowest	36,652Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.8±4.3Highest 31% above U.S.	42.9±1Lowest 10% above U.S.
Kids under 18	19.8%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Andover and Glocester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.2%±3.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	75.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8.1%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$113,508±$7kLowest 41% above U.S.	$172,606±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$396,500±$28kLowest 19% above U.S.	$855,600±$22kHighest 157% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,417±$627Lowest about the U.S. average	$2,201±$129Highest 56% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,248Lowest 68% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64.5%±24Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39.7%±7.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Glocester and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	79.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 30% above U.S.	29 minLowest 10% above U.S.
Work from home	13.1%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	30.4%±2.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#12 of 38 in RI	#68 of 282 in MA
School district	Foster-Glocester · Glocester	Andover · Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Ponaganset High School	Gr Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8	12.8
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.