What stands out worked out from the figures below

North Smithfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.2%).

Burrillville has the most affordable homes ($384k 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	North Smithfield	Burrillville
People
Population	12,708Lowest	16,427Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.2%Highest RI: +4.3%	+1.3%Lowest RI: +4.3%
Median age	45.5±3.9Highest 12% above RI	45.1±4.6Lowest 11% above RI
	North Smithfield and Burrillville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±3.2Highest RI: 18.8%	19.1%±3.3Lowest RI: 18.8%
	North Smithfield and Burrillville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.9%±2.8Highest RI: 18.7%	20.3%±2.8Lowest RI: 18.7%
	North Smithfield and Burrillville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.8%Highest RI: 37.7%	25%Lowest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.3Lowest RI: 8.3%	4.7%±2.7Highest RI: 8.3%
	Burrillville and North Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$108,866±$12kLowest 24% above RI	$119,813±$16kHighest 36% above RI
	Burrillville and North Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$457,200±$21kHighest 13% above RI	$384,400±$18kLowest 5% below RI
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,282±$531Highest 4% below RI	$1,206±$251Lowest 10% below RI
	North Smithfield and Burrillville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,219Highest 7% above RI	$4,667Lowest 5% below RI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.6%±11.4Highest RI: 48%	32.1%±14.5Lowest RI: 48%
	North Smithfield and Burrillville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Lowest RI: 11.2%	6.5%Highest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.9%Lowest RI: 63.6%	81.6%Highest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 10 yrs newer than RI	1970Lowest 8 yrs newer than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 4% above RI	35 minHighest 38% above RI
Work from home	14.2%±3.6Highest RI: 13%	11.5%±3.1Lowest RI: 13%
	North Smithfield and Burrillville 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	#13 of 38 in RI	#30 of 38 in RI
School district	North Smithfield	Burrillville
High school in town	North Smitfield HS	Burrillville High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Highest	12.0Lowest
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.