Compare towns
Pawtucket vs Sprague vs Providence
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Pawtucket has the most kids (22.4% under 18).
Sprague has the highest household income ($93k).
Providence has the most people working from home (14.3%).
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.
| Measure | Pawtucket | Sprague | Providence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 75,893 |
2,962Lowest |
191,767Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
— | +7.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 37.1±0.8 5% below U.S. |
48.5±10.7Highest 25% above U.S. |
32.8±0.5Lowest 16% below U.S. |
| Sprague and Pawtucket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 22.4%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22% |
17.1%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 22% |
20.1%±1 U.S.: 22% |
| Pawtucket and Providence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 14.5%±1.1 U.S.: 17.2% |
19.9%±3.9Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
11.6%±0.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 22.2% U.S.: 35.7% |
19.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
34.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.6%±0.8 U.S.: 6.4% |
0.6%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
14.4%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $68,310±$4k 15% below U.S. |
$92,850±$11kHighest 15% above U.S. |
$68,119±$3kLowest 16% below U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $325,500±$8k about the U.S. average |
$273,500±$17kLowest 18% below U.S. |
$362,200±$8kHighest 9% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,208±$39Lowest 15% below U.S. |
$1,247±$144 12% below U.S. |
$1,408±$42Highest about the U.S. average |
| Providence and Sprague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,115Lowest 32% above U.S. |
$4,668Highest 50% above U.S. |
$4,418 42% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 45.9%±4.4 U.S.: 51.1% |
26.9%±12.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
48%±2.8Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Providence and Pawtucket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 13.3% U.S.: 12.5% |
8.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
20.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 50.1% U.S.: 65.2% |
67.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
41.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1947 33 yrs older than U.S. |
1959Highest 21 yrs older than U.S. |
1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 26 min 3% below U.S. |
30 minHighest 12% above U.S. |
25 minLowest 5% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 9.2%±1.5 U.S.: 15.1% |
5%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
14.3%±1.2Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #35 of 38 in RI | #141 of 149 in CT | #36 of 38 in RI |
| School district | Blackstone Academy · Pawtucket | Sprague School District | MET Career and Tech · Urban Collaborative |
| High school in town | William E. Tolman High | None in town | Classical High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.6Lowest |
— | 17.2Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.