What stands out worked out from the figures below

Peabody has the most expensive homes ($596k median).

Woonsocket has the most affordable homes ($311k median).

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	Peabody	Woonsocket
People
Population	54,695Highest	43,521Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±2.4Highest 16% above U.S.	35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S.
Kids under 18	18.7%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	24.3%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	19.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Woonsocket and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$96,657±$4kHighest 20% above U.S.	$61,059±$5kLowest 24% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$596,200±$12kHighest 79% above U.S.	$311,000±$15kLowest 7% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,950±$99Highest 38% above U.S.	$1,161±$48Lowest 18% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,065Highest 62% above U.S.	$3,960Lowest 27% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.3%±5.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	18.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	65.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	10.3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#228 of 282 in MA	#37 of 38 in RI
School district	Peabody	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket
High school in town	Peabody Veterans Memorial High	Woonsocket High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	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.