What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Warwick has the most affordable homes ($355k 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	Warwick
People
Population	12,708Lowest	83,175Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.2%Highest RI: +4.3%	+0.2%Lowest RI: +4.3%
Median age	45.5±3.9Highest 12% above RI	44.3±1Lowest 9% above RI
	North Smithfield and Warwick 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%	17.6%±1.1Lowest RI: 18.8%
	North Smithfield and Warwick 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%	21.6%±1.2Highest RI: 18.7%
	Warwick 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%Highest RI: 37.7%	33.7%Lowest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.3Lowest RI: 8.3%	5.6%±0.7Highest RI: 8.3%
	Warwick 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±$12kHighest 24% above RI	$88,708±$6kLowest about the RI average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$457,200±$21kHighest 13% above RI	$354,600±$5kLowest 12% below RI
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,282±$531Lowest 4% below RI	$1,363±$76Highest about the RI average
	Warwick and North Smithfield 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	$4,616Lowest 6% below RI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.6%±11.4Lowest RI: 48%	53.1%±6.1Highest RI: 48%
Below poverty line	4.8%Lowest RI: 11.2%	7.6%Highest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.9%Highest RI: 63.6%	73.3%Lowest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 10 yrs newer than RI	1961Lowest 1 yr older than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 4% above RI	25 minLowest 4% below RI
Work from home	14.2%±3.6Highest RI: 13%	12.4%±1.2Lowest RI: 13%
	North Smithfield and Warwick 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	#28 of 38 in RI
School district	North Smithfield	Warwick
High school in town	North Smitfield HS	Pilgrim High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Highest	10.5Lowest
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.