Compare towns
Pawtucket vs Woonsocket vs Providence
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Rhode Island.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Pawtucket has the most homeowners (50.1%).
Woonsocket has the most renters (62.8% rent).
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 | Woonsocket | Providence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 75,893 |
43,521Lowest |
191,767Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6.3% RI: +4.3% |
+5%Lowest RI: +4.3% |
+7.2%Highest RI: +4.3% |
| Median age | 37.1±0.8Highest 9% below RI |
35.7±1.3 12% below RI |
32.8±0.5Lowest 19% below RI |
| Pawtucket and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 22.4%±1.6 RI: 18.8% |
23.3%±2Highest RI: 18.8% |
20.1%±1Lowest RI: 18.8% |
| Woonsocket and Pawtucket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 14.5%±1.1 RI: 18.7% |
14.7%±1.4Highest RI: 18.7% |
11.6%±0.7Lowest RI: 18.7% |
| Woonsocket 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% RI: 37.7% |
19.8%Lowest RI: 37.7% |
34.6%Highest RI: 37.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.6%±0.8 RI: 8.3% |
5.1%±0.9Lowest RI: 8.3% |
14.4%±0.8Highest RI: 8.3% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $68,310±$4kHighest 22% below RI |
$61,059±$5kLowest 30% below RI |
$68,119±$3k 22% below RI |
| Pawtucket and Providence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $325,500±$8k 19% below RI |
$311,000±$15kLowest 23% below RI |
$362,200±$8kHighest 10% below RI |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,208±$39 10% below RI |
$1,161±$48Lowest 13% below RI |
$1,408±$42Highest 5% above RI |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,115 16% below RI |
$3,960Lowest 19% below RI |
$4,418Highest 10% below RI |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 45.9%±4.4Lowest RI: 48% |
46.7%±5.4 RI: 48% |
48%±2.8Highest RI: 48% |
| Providence and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 13.3%Lowest RI: 11.2% |
18.7% RI: 11.2% |
20.7%Highest RI: 11.2% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 50.1%Highest RI: 63.6% |
37.2%Lowest RI: 63.6% |
41.4% RI: 63.6% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1947 15 yrs older than RI |
1952Highest 10 yrs older than RI |
1938Lowest 24 yrs older than RI |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 26 min about the RI average |
29 minHighest 15% above RI |
25 minLowest about the RI average |
| Work from home | 9.2%±1.5 RI: 13% |
6.4%±1.7Lowest RI: 13% |
14.3%±1.2Highest RI: 13% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #35 of 38 in RI | #37 of 38 in RI | #36 of 38 in RI |
| School district | Blackstone Academy · Pawtucket | RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket | MET Career and Tech · Urban Collaborative |
| High school in town | William E. Tolman High | Woonsocket High School | Classical High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.6Lowest |
15.2 |
17.2Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | None yet | None yet |
RI 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.