What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stoneham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.4%).

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	Stoneham
People
Population	29,835Highest	23,355Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±2.5Highest 14% above U.S.	42.2±2.2Lowest 8% above U.S.
	Johnston and Stoneham 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%	20.8%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Stoneham 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%	20.4%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Johnston and Stoneham 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%	55.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Johnston and Stoneham 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.	$113,964±$10kHighest 41% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$355,500±$13kLowest 7% above U.S.	$671,900±$26kHighest 102% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,275±$132Lowest 10% below U.S.	$2,035±$142Highest 44% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,614Lowest 48% above U.S.	$6,523Highest 109% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.1%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41.9%±8.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Stoneham 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%	5.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	71%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 12 yrs older than U.S.	1964Lowest 16 yrs 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%	24.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#32 of 38 in RI	#117 of 282 in MA
School district	Johnston	Stoneham
High school in town	Johnston Senior High	Stoneham High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	10.7Highest
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.