What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Woonsocket has the most renters (62.8% rent).

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	Woonsocket
People
Population	12,708Lowest	43,521Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.2%Highest RI: +4.3%	+5%Lowest RI: +4.3%
Median age	45.5±3.9Highest 12% above RI	35.7±1.3Lowest 12% below RI
Kids under 18	19.2%±3.2Lowest RI: 18.8%	23.3%±2Highest RI: 18.8%
	Woonsocket 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 RI: 18.7%	14.7%±1.4Lowest RI: 18.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.8%Highest RI: 37.7%	19.8%Lowest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.3Lowest RI: 8.3%	5.1%±0.9Highest RI: 8.3%
	Woonsocket 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	$61,059±$5kLowest 30% below RI
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$457,200±$21kHighest 13% above RI	$311,000±$15kLowest 23% below RI
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,282±$531Highest 4% below RI	$1,161±$48Lowest 13% below RI
	North Smithfield and Woonsocket 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	$3,960Lowest 19% below RI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.6%±11.4Lowest RI: 48%	46.7%±5.4Highest RI: 48%
	Woonsocket 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%	18.7%Highest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.9%Highest RI: 63.6%	37.2%Lowest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 10 yrs newer than RI	1952Lowest 10 yrs older than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 4% above RI	29 minHighest 15% above RI
Work from home	14.2%±3.6Highest RI: 13%	6.4%±1.7Lowest RI: 13%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#13 of 38 in RI	#37 of 38 in RI
School district	North Smithfield	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket
High school in town	North Smitfield HS	Woonsocket High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Lowest	15.2Highest
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.