What stands out worked out from the figures below

Montague has the most people working from home (14.9%).

Woonsocket has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5%).

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	Montague	Woonsocket
People
Population	8,482Lowest	43,521Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.3±3.1Highest 14% above U.S.	35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S.
Kids under 18	19%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Woonsocket and Montague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.5%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	19.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Woonsocket and Montague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,510±$12kHighest 13% below U.S.	$61,059±$5kLowest 24% below U.S.
	Montague and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$282,100±$17kLowest 15% below U.S.	$311,000±$15kHighest 7% below U.S.
	Woonsocket and Montague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,207±$115Highest 15% below U.S.	$1,161±$48Lowest 18% below U.S.
	Montague and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,922Lowest 26% above U.S.	$3,960Highest 27% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64.6%±8.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	11.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	18.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1951Lowest 29 yrs older than U.S.	1952Highest 28 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 20% below U.S.	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	14.9%±4.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#265 of 282 in MA	#37 of 38 in RI
School district	Franklin County Regional Vocational Technical · Gill-Montague	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket
High school in town	Franklin County Technical	Woonsocket High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.7Lowest	15.2Highest
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.