What stands out worked out from the figures below

North Stonington has the highest household income ($124k).

Westerly has the most people working from home (11.5%).

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 Stonington	Westerly
People
Population	5,160Lowest	23,333Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.5% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.8±3.8Lowest 31% above U.S.	52.2±2.4Highest 34% above U.S.
	Westerly and North Stonington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%	14.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
	North Stonington and Westerly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	26.4%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Westerly and North Stonington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	51.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	45.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	North Stonington and Westerly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$123,938±$10kHighest 54% above U.S.	$98,875±$5kLowest 22% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$397,100±$39kLowest 19% above U.S.	$466,600±$15kHighest 40% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,298±$1kHighest 8% below U.S.	$1,257±$131Lowest 11% below U.S.
	North Stonington and Westerly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,224Highest 100% above U.S.	$3,847Lowest 23% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±52.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.6%±10.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Westerly and North Stonington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	5.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	74.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 5% below U.S.	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.
Work from home	6.7%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	11.5%±2.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Westerly and North Stonington 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	#44 of 149 in CT	#25 of 38 in RI
School district	North Stonington School District	Westerly
High school in town	Wheeler High School	Westerly High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.0Lowest	9.6Highest
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.