What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northbridge has the most people working from home (16.2%).

Johnston has the shortest commute (24 min average).

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	Northbridge	Johnston
People
Population	16,458Lowest	29,835Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.8±2.6Lowest 13% above U.S.	44.5±2.5Highest 14% above U.S.
	Johnston and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.1%±2.9Highest U.S.: 22%	17.5%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Northbridge and Johnston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.1%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	28.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Johnston and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,319±$19kHighest 38% above U.S.	$91,866±$6kLowest 14% above U.S.
	Northbridge and Johnston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$448,600±$15kHighest 35% above U.S.	$355,500±$13kLowest 7% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,207±$102Lowest 15% below U.S.	$1,275±$132Highest 10% below U.S.
	Johnston and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,821Highest 55% above U.S.	$4,614Lowest 48% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±9.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	38.1%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Northbridge and Johnston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.9% U.S.: 12.5%	7.9% U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	75.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1968Lowest 12 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.	24 minLowest 11% below U.S.
Work from home	16.2%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.9%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#226 of 282 in MA	#32 of 38 in RI
School district	Northbridge	Johnston
High school in town	Northbridge High	Johnston Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Highest	10.3Lowest
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.