What stands out worked out from the figures below

Johnston has the most affordable homes ($356k median).

Mendon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.7%).

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	Johnston	Mendon
People
Population	29,835Highest	6,325Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±2.5Highest 14% above U.S.	44.1±4.4Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Johnston and Mendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.5%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.8%±6.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Mendon and Johnston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.7%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.8%±2.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Mendon and Johnston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,866±$6kLowest 14% above U.S.	$132,256±$33kHighest 64% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$355,500±$13kLowest 7% above U.S.	$616,000±$37kHighest 85% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,275±$132Lowest 10% below U.S.	$1,840±$196Highest 30% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,614Lowest 48% above U.S.	$7,213Highest 131% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.1%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	78.7%±26Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 12 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 11% below U.S.	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.
Work from home	9.9%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±5.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Mendon and Johnston 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	#32 of 38 in RI	#210 of 282 in MA
School district	Johnston	Mendon-Upton
High school in town	Johnston Senior High	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3	—
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.