What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Woonsocket has the most affordable homes ($311k 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	Woonsocket
People
Population	16,832Lowest	43,521Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.7%Highest RI: +4.3%	+5%Lowest RI: +4.3%
Median age	43.8±2Highest 8% above RI	35.7±1.3Lowest 12% below RI
Kids under 18	19%±2.7Lowest RI: 18.8%	23.3%±2Highest RI: 18.8%
	Woonsocket 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%	14.7%±1.4Lowest RI: 18.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.4%Highest RI: 37.7%	19.8%Lowest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.9%±1.6Highest RI: 8.3%	5.1%±0.9Lowest RI: 8.3%
	Middletown and Woonsocket 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	$61,059±$5kLowest 30% below RI
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$563,300±$46kHighest 39% above RI	$311,000±$15kLowest 23% below RI
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,990±$170Highest 48% above RI	$1,161±$48Lowest 13% below RI
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,153Highest 26% above RI	$3,960Lowest 19% below RI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.9%±6.3Highest RI: 48%	46.7%±5.4Lowest RI: 48%
	Middletown and Woonsocket 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%	18.7%Highest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.9%Highest RI: 63.6%	37.2%Lowest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Highest 7 yrs newer than RI	1952Lowest 10 yrs older than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 22% below RI	29 minHighest 15% above RI
Work from home	10.9%±2.3Highest RI: 13%	6.4%±1.7Lowest RI: 13%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#23 of 38 in RI	#37 of 38 in RI
School district	Middletown	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket
High school in town	Middletown High School	Woonsocket High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	15.2Highest
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.