What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wilbraham 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	Wilbraham
People
Population	29,835Highest	14,572Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8% U.S.: +7.4%	+2.8% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±2.5Highest 14% above U.S.	44.3±2.7Lowest 14% above U.S.
	Johnston and Wilbraham 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%	23.2%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wilbraham and Johnston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	23%±3.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wilbraham and Johnston 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%	51.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.2%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Johnston and Wilbraham 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.	$122,051±$14kHighest 51% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$355,500±$13kLowest 7% above U.S.	$416,000±$25kHighest 25% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,275±$132Highest 10% below U.S.	$1,175±$241Lowest 17% below U.S.
	Johnston and Wilbraham 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.	$6,658Highest 113% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.1%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	53.1%±23.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wilbraham 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%	4.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	88.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 12 yrs older than U.S.	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 11% below U.S.	27 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	9.9%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	12.9%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Wilbraham 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	#88 of 282 in MA
School district	Johnston	Hampden-Wilbraham
High school in town	Johnston Senior High	Minnechaug Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	14.2Highest
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.