What stands out worked out from the figures below

Johnston has the shortest commute (24 min average).

Townsend has the highest household income ($122k).

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	Townsend
People
Population	29,835Highest	9,100Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±2.5Highest 14% above U.S.	40.9±3.3Lowest 5% above U.S.
	Johnston and Townsend 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%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Townsend 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%	17.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	35.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Johnston and Townsend 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.	$121,528±$23kHighest 51% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$355,500±$13kLowest 7% above U.S.	$433,200±$22kHighest 30% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,275±$132Lowest 10% below U.S.	$1,469±$313Highest 4% above U.S.
	Townsend and Johnston 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.	$6,031Highest 93% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.1%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	50.6%±16.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Townsend and Johnston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 12 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 11% below U.S.	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.
Work from home	9.9%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±2.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Townsend 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	#136 of 282 in MA
School district	Johnston	North Middlesex
High school in town	Johnston Senior High	North Middlesex Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	13.1Highest
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.