What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sheffield has the most homeowners (82.3%).

Woonsocket has grown the fastest since 2010 (+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	Sheffield	Woonsocket
People
Population	3,330Lowest	43,521Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.2±8Highest 24% above U.S.	35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S.
Kids under 18	13.3%±4Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	23.2%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	19.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Woonsocket and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,120±$31kHighest 14% above U.S.	$61,059±$5kLowest 24% below U.S.
	Sheffield and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$409,400±$32kHighest 23% above U.S.	$311,000±$15kLowest 7% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,837±$1kHighest 30% above U.S.	$1,161±$48Lowest 18% below U.S.
	Sheffield and Woonsocket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,520Highest 45% above U.S.	$3,960Lowest 27% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.2%±21.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.7%±5.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Woonsocket and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	18.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 22% below U.S.	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	8.5%±5.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sheffield and Woonsocket 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	#250 of 282 in MA	#37 of 38 in RI
School district	Southern Berkshire	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket
High school in town	Mt Everett Regional	Woonsocket High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.8Lowest	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.