What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Walpole has the most people working from home (28.2%).

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	Walpole
People
Population	75,893Highest	26,388Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37.1±0.8Lowest 5% below U.S.	40.9±1.2Highest 5% above U.S.
Kids under 18	22.4%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	25.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Walpole and Pawtucket 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%	16.9%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Walpole and Pawtucket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	67.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pawtucket and Walpole 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.	$171,500±$16kHighest 112% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$325,500±$8kLowest about the U.S. average	$687,100±$20kHighest 107% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,208±$39Lowest 15% below U.S.	$2,205±$222Highest 56% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,115Lowest 32% above U.S.	$8,523Highest 173% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.9%±4.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	37.8%±9.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Pawtucket and Walpole 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%	3.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 3% below U.S.	34 minHighest 27% above U.S.
Work from home	9.2%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	28.2%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#35 of 38 in RI	#107 of 282 in MA
School district	Blackstone Academy · Pawtucket	Norfolk County Agricultural · Walpole
High school in town	William E. Tolman High	Walpole High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.6Highest	11.3Lowest
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.