What stands out worked out from the figures below

Newton has the most people working from home (32.2%).

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	Newton	Woonsocket
People
Population	89,044Highest	43,521Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.1±0.9Highest 8% above U.S.	35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S.
Kids under 18	20.5%±1Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Woonsocket and Newton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.1%±0.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	81.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	19.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.1%±0.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$190,304±$9kHighest 136% above U.S.	$61,059±$5kLowest 24% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$1,264,900±$43kHighest 280% above U.S.	$311,000±$15kLowest 7% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,370±$81Highest 68% above U.S.	$1,161±$48Lowest 18% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$3,960Lowest 27% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.3%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.7%±5.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Woonsocket and Newton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	18.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 38 yrs older than U.S.	1952Highest 28 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	32.2%±2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#25 of 282 in MA	#37 of 38 in RI
School district	Newton	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket
High school in town	Newton North High	Woonsocket High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Lowest	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.