What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Scituate has the most homeowners (87.3%).

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	Scituate
People
Population	12,708Highest	10,517Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.2%Highest RI: +4.3%	+0.5%Lowest RI: +4.3%
Median age	45.5±3.9Lowest 12% above RI	49.9±4Highest 23% above RI
	Scituate and North Smithfield 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%	14.9%±3.3Lowest RI: 18.8%
	North Smithfield and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.9%±2.8Lowest RI: 18.7%	25.2%±4.3Highest RI: 18.7%
	Scituate and North Smithfield 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 RI: 37.7%	34.7%Highest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.3Highest RI: 8.3%	4.2%±1.7Lowest RI: 8.3%
	North Smithfield and Scituate 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	$112,315±$23kHighest 28% above RI
	Scituate 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	$449,300±$26kLowest 11% above RI
	North Smithfield and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,282±$531Lowest 4% below RI	$1,489±$251Highest 11% above RI
	Scituate and North Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,219Lowest 7% above RI	$5,265Highest 7% above RI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.6%±11.4Lowest RI: 48%	59.6%±25.9Highest RI: 48%
	Scituate and North Smithfield 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%	5%Highest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.9%Lowest RI: 63.6%	87.3%Highest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 10 yrs newer than RI	1966Lowest 4 yrs newer than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 4% above RI	31 minHighest 20% above RI
Work from home	14.2%±3.6Highest RI: 13%	13.3%±5.1Lowest RI: 13%
	North Smithfield and Scituate 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	#17 of 38 in RI
School district	North Smithfield	Scituate
High school in town	North Smitfield HS	Scituate High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Highest	10.8Lowest
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.