What stands out worked out from the figures below

Johnston has the shortest commute (24 min average).

Somers has the most people working from home (16.2%).

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	Somers
People
Population	29,835Highest	10,308Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	44.5±2.5Highest 14% above U.S.	43.1±2.6Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Johnston and Somers 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%	21.1%±4.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Somers 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%	19.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Johnston and Somers are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	37.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Johnston and Somers 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.	$124,705±$15kHighest 54% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$355,500±$13kLowest 7% above U.S.	$395,800±$21kHighest 19% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,275±$132Highest 10% below U.S.	$1,184±$346Lowest 16% below U.S.
	Johnston and Somers 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.	$6,456Highest 107% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.1%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	51.6%±13.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Somers and Johnston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	87.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 12 yrs older than U.S.	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 11% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	9.9%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.2%±4.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Somers 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	#66 of 149 in CT
School district	Johnston	Somers School District
High school in town	Johnston Senior High	Somers High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Highest	7.7Lowest
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.