What stands out worked out from the figures below

Palmer Town has the most homeowners (71.5%).

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	Palmer Town	Woonsocket
People
Population	12,381Lowest	43,521Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	47.8±5.6Highest 23% above U.S.	35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S.
Kids under 18	15.1%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.9%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	19.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Woonsocket and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,480±$8kHighest about the U.S. average	$61,059±$5kLowest 24% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,400±$21kLowest 18% below U.S.	$311,000±$15kHighest 7% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,075±$103Lowest 24% below U.S.	$1,161±$48Highest 18% below U.S.
	Woonsocket and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,540Highest 46% above U.S.	$3,960Lowest 27% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.9%±10.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Palmer Town and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	18.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Highest 18 yrs older than U.S.	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 19% above U.S.	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	7.3%±2.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Palmer Town and Woonsocket 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	#252 of 282 in MA	#37 of 38 in RI
School district	Palmer · Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket
High school in town	Pathfinder Vocational Technical	Woonsocket High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.9Lowest	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.