What stands out worked out from the figures below

Middletown has the most expensive homes ($563k median).

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	Middletown	Pawtucket
People
Population	16,832Lowest	75,893Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.7%Lowest RI: +4.3%	+6.3%Highest RI: +4.3%
Median age	43.8±2Highest 8% above RI	37.1±0.8Lowest 9% below RI
Kids under 18	19%±2.7Lowest RI: 18.8%	22.4%±1.6Highest RI: 18.8%
	Pawtucket and Middletown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.3%±2.6Highest RI: 18.7%	14.5%±1.1Lowest RI: 18.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.4%Highest RI: 37.7%	22.2%Lowest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.9%±1.6Highest RI: 8.3%	5.6%±0.8Lowest RI: 8.3%
	Middletown and Pawtucket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$101,948±$6kHighest 16% above RI	$68,310±$4kLowest 22% below RI
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$563,300±$46kHighest 39% above RI	$325,500±$8kLowest 19% below RI
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,990±$170Highest 48% above RI	$1,208±$39Lowest 10% below RI
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,153Highest 26% above RI	$4,115Lowest 16% below RI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.9%±6.3Highest RI: 48%	45.9%±4.4Lowest RI: 48%
	Middletown and Pawtucket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.5%Lowest RI: 11.2%	13.3%Highest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.9%Highest RI: 63.6%	50.1%Lowest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Highest 7 yrs newer than RI	1947Lowest 15 yrs older than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 22% below RI	26 minHighest about the RI average
Work from home	10.9%±2.3Highest RI: 13%	9.2%±1.5Lowest RI: 13%
	Middletown and Pawtucket 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	#23 of 38 in RI	#35 of 38 in RI
School district	Middletown	Blackstone Academy · Pawtucket
High school in town	Middletown High School	William E. Tolman High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	14.6Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

RI 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.