What stands out worked out from the figures below

Johnston has the shortest commute (24 min average).

Wolcott has the highest household income ($111k).

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	Wolcott
People
Population	29,835Highest	16,279Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	44.5±2.5Highest 14% above U.S.	44.4±2.5Lowest 14% above U.S.
	Johnston and Wolcott 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%	19.4%±3.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wolcott 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%	18.8%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Johnston and Wolcott 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%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.3%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Johnston and Wolcott 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.	$110,850±$10kHighest 37% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$355,500±$13kHighest 7% above U.S.	$326,200±$17kLowest about the U.S. average
	Johnston and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,275±$132Lowest 10% below U.S.	$1,464±$913Highest 4% above U.S.
	Wolcott 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.	$5,799Highest 86% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.1%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	49.8%±24.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wolcott 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%	1.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	88.4%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.	30 minHighest 13% above U.S.
Work from home	9.9%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	11.2%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Wolcott 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	#76 of 149 in CT
School district	Johnston	Wolcott School District
High school in town	Johnston Senior High	Wolcott High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Highest	10.1Lowest
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.