What stands out worked out from the figures below

North Brookfield has the most people working from home (13.1%).

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	North Brookfield	Woonsocket
People
Population	4,760Lowest	43,521Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.2±9.4Highest 16% above U.S.	35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S.
	North Brookfield and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	18.7%±5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	North Brookfield and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	19.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Woonsocket and North Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$79,285±$11kHighest about the U.S. average	$61,059±$5kLowest 24% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$359,100±$32kHighest 8% above U.S.	$311,000±$15kLowest 7% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$981±$63Lowest 31% below U.S.	$1,161±$48Highest 18% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,176Highest 34% above U.S.	$3,960Lowest 27% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.4%±15.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	North Brookfield and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	18.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1953Highest 27 yrs older than U.S.	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	13.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#270 of 282 in MA	#37 of 38 in RI
School district	North Brookfield	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket
High school in town	North Brookfield High	Woonsocket High School
Students per teacherat that high school	5.5Lowest	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.