What stands out worked out from the figures below

Melrose has the most people working from home (29.6%).

Pawtucket has the most affordable homes ($326k median).

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	Melrose	Pawtucket
People
Population	29,650Lowest	75,893Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.6±1.1Highest 12% above U.S.	37.1±0.8Lowest 5% below U.S.
Kids under 18	20.2%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.4%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Pawtucket and Melrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.6%±2.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.5%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	22.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pawtucket and Melrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$133,953±$14kHighest 66% above U.S.	$68,310±$4kLowest 15% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$822,900±$20kHighest 147% above U.S.	$325,500±$8kLowest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,970±$149Highest 39% above U.S.	$1,208±$39Lowest 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,578Highest 143% above U.S.	$4,115Lowest 32% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.3%±8.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	45.9%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Melrose and Pawtucket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1947Highest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 31% above U.S.	26 minLowest 3% below U.S.
Work from home	29.6%±2.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.2%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#62 of 282 in MA	#35 of 38 in RI
School district	Melrose	Blackstone Academy · Pawtucket
High school in town	Melrose High	William E. Tolman High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Lowest	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.