What stands out worked out from the figures below

Mansfield has the most people working from home (20%).

Central Falls has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.6%).

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	Mansfield	Central Falls
People
Population	23,931Highest	22,701Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+16.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.4±1.3Highest 6% above U.S.	32.5±2.3Lowest 16% below U.S.
Kids under 18	22.4%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	26.1%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Central Falls and Mansfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.4%±2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	10.7%±2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	51.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	10.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.6%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Mansfield and Central Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$125,273±$15kHighest 55% above U.S.	$49,285±$8kLowest 39% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$603,500±$28kHighest 81% above U.S.	$352,100±$30kLowest 6% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,803±$147Highest 28% above U.S.	$1,200±$75Lowest 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,226Highest 132% above U.S.	$3,744Lowest 20% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.2%±8.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	56.7%±8.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	24.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	25.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1944Lowest 36 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 25% above U.S.	27 minLowest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	20%±3.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	5.2%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#60 of 282 in MA	#38 of 38 in RI
School district	Mansfield	Learning Community · Segue Institute for Learning
High school in town	Mansfield High	Central Falls Sr High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Lowest	14.6Highest
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.