What stands out worked out from the figures below

Norton has the most people working from home (19%).

Woonsocket has grown the fastest since 2010 (+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	Norton	Woonsocket
People
Population	19,240Lowest	43,521Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	39.6±1.2Highest about the U.S. average	35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S.
Kids under 18	17.3%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	17.4%±1.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Norton and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	19.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	12.9%±1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$124,535±$11kHighest 54% above U.S.	$61,059±$5kLowest 24% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$501,400±$27kHighest 51% above U.S.	$311,000±$15kLowest 7% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,911±$375Highest 35% above U.S.	$1,161±$48Lowest 18% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,929Highest 90% above U.S.	$3,960Lowest 27% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.6%±8.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.7%±5.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Woonsocket and Norton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	18.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 23% above U.S.	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	19%±3.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#173 of 282 in MA	#37 of 38 in RI
School district	Norton	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket
High school in town	Norton High	Woonsocket High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Lowest	15.2Highest
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.