What stands out worked out from the figures below

Johnston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.8%).

Norwich has the most affordable homes ($242k 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	Johnston	Norwich
People
Population	29,835Lowest	39,973Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±2.5Highest 14% above U.S.	38.5±1.7Lowest about the U.S. average
Kids under 18	17.5%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.9%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Norwich 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%	16.9%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	23.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Johnston and Norwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,866±$6kHighest 14% above U.S.	$65,024±$5kLowest 19% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$355,500±$13kHighest 7% above U.S.	$242,300±$11kLowest 27% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,275±$132Highest 10% below U.S.	$1,253±$68Lowest 11% below U.S.
	Johnston and Norwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,614Lowest 48% above U.S.	$4,703Highest 51% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.1%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	56.2%±7.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	16.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	53.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 12 yrs older than U.S.	1957Lowest 23 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 11% below U.S.	24 minHighest 9% below U.S.
Work from home	9.9%±2.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.2%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Johnston and Norwich 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	#133 of 149 in CT
School district	Johnston	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Norwich School District
High school in town	Johnston Senior High	Norwich Free Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	14.8Highest
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.