What stands out worked out from the figures below

Scituate has the most homeowners (87.3%).

Westerly has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.5%).

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	Scituate	Westerly
People
Population	10,517Lowest	23,333Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.5%Lowest RI: +4.3%	+2.5%Highest RI: +4.3%
Median age	49.9±4Lowest 23% above RI	52.2±2.4Highest 29% above RI
	Westerly and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.9%±3.3Highest RI: 18.8%	14.4%±2.1Lowest RI: 18.8%
	Scituate and Westerly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±4.3Lowest RI: 18.7%	26.4%±2.6Highest RI: 18.7%
	Westerly and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.7%Lowest RI: 37.7%	45.8%Highest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.7Lowest RI: 8.3%	5%±1.5Highest RI: 8.3%
	Westerly and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$112,315±$23kHighest 28% above RI	$98,875±$5kLowest 13% above RI
	Scituate and Westerly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$449,300±$26kLowest 11% above RI	$466,600±$15kHighest 15% above RI
	Westerly and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,489±$251Highest 11% above RI	$1,257±$131Lowest 6% below RI
	Scituate and Westerly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,265Highest 7% above RI	$3,847Lowest 21% below RI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.6%±25.9Highest RI: 48%	46.6%±10.4Lowest RI: 48%
	Scituate and Westerly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5%Lowest RI: 11.2%	5.2%Highest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.3%Highest RI: 63.6%	74.7%Lowest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 4 yrs newer than RI	1973Highest 11 yrs newer than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 20% above RI	24 minLowest 5% below RI
Work from home	13.3%±5.1Highest RI: 13%	11.5%±2.5Lowest RI: 13%
	Scituate and Westerly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#17 of 38 in RI	#25 of 38 in RI
School district	Scituate	Westerly
High school in town	Scituate High School	Westerly High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Highest	9.6Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.