What stands out worked out from the figures below

North Smithfield has the most affordable homes ($457k median).

Needham has the most expensive homes ($1189k 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	Needham
People
Population	12,708Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.5±3.9Highest 17% above U.S.	43.1±1.6Lowest 11% above U.S.
	North Smithfield and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.9%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	North Smithfield and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Needham 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 35% above U.S.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$457,200±$21kLowest 37% above U.S.	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,282±$531Lowest 9% below U.S.	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,219Lowest 67% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.6%±11.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	4.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	14.2%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#13 of 38 in RI	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	North Smithfield	Needham
High school in town	North Smitfield HS	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Highest	11.9Lowest
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.