What stands out worked out from the figures below

North Smithfield has the most people working from home (14.2%).

Windham has the most affordable homes ($210k 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	Windham
People
Population	12,708Lowest	23,961Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.2% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	45.5±3.9Highest 17% above U.S.	33.7±1.9Lowest 13% below U.S.
Kids under 18	19.2%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Windham and North Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.9%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.3%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	22.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	15.2%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$108,866±$12kHighest 35% above U.S.	$55,736±$5kLowest 31% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$457,200±$21kHighest 37% above U.S.	$209,800±$9kLowest 37% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,282±$531Highest 9% below U.S.	$1,107±$69Lowest 22% below U.S.
	North Smithfield and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,219Highest 67% above U.S.	$4,633Lowest 49% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.6%±11.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.1%±8.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	20.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	47.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the U.S. average	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.
Work from home	14.2%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.1%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#13 of 38 in RI	#143 of 149 in CT
School district	North Smithfield	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Eastern Connecticut Regional Educational Service Center (EAS
High school in town	North Smitfield HS	Windham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Highest	9.8Lowest
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.