What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pelham has the most people working from home (22.8%).

Woonsocket has the most renters (62.8% rent).

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	Pelham	Woonsocket
People
Population	14,449Lowest	43,521Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±2.7Highest 7% above U.S.	35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S.
Kids under 18	22%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Woonsocket and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.5%±1.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Pelham and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	19.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pelham and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$135,956±$19kHighest 68% above U.S.	$61,059±$5kLowest 24% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$552,600±$27kHighest 66% above U.S.	$311,000±$15kLowest 7% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,425±$88Highest about the U.S. average	$1,161±$48Lowest 18% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,634Highest 177% above U.S.	$3,960Lowest 27% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.7%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	18.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 12% above U.S.	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#48 of 120 in NH	#37 of 38 in RI
School district	Pelham School District	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket
High school in town	Pelham High School	Woonsocket High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	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.