What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pawtucket has the most affordable homes ($326k median).

Wakefield has the most people working from home (24.6%).

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	Pawtucket	Wakefield
People
Population	75,893Highest	27,793Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37.1±0.8Lowest 5% below U.S.	42.4±1.7Highest 9% above U.S.
Kids under 18	22.4%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22%	20%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Pawtucket and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.5%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19%±1.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	59.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pawtucket and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$68,310±$4kLowest 15% below U.S.	$134,306±$14kHighest 66% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$325,500±$8kLowest about the U.S. average	$723,500±$24kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,208±$39Lowest 15% below U.S.	$1,958±$102Highest 39% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,115Lowest 32% above U.S.	$7,779Highest 149% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.9%±4.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	43.7%±7.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Pawtucket and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	70.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1956Highest 24 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 3% below U.S.	33 minHighest 26% above U.S.
Work from home	9.2%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#35 of 38 in RI	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	Blackstone Academy · Pawtucket	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	William E. Tolman High	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	14.6Highest	10.7Lowest
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.