What stands out worked out from the figures below

Smithfield has the most affordable homes ($446k median).

Andover has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.1%).

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	Smithfield	Andover
People
Population	22,233Lowest	36,652Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.8±2.6Lowest 7% above U.S.	42.9±1Highest 10% above U.S.
	Andover and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	21.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	75.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	16.7%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	8.1%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,077±$8kLowest 26% above U.S.	$172,606±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$446,400±$12kLowest 34% above U.S.	$855,600±$22kHighest 157% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,016±$241Lowest 28% below U.S.	$2,201±$129Highest 56% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,207Lowest 67% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.1%±17.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39.7%±7.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Smithfield and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	79.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.	29 minHighest 10% above U.S.
Work from home	14%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	30.4%±2.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#8 of 38 in RI	#68 of 282 in MA
School district	Smithfield	Andover · Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Smithfield High School	Gr Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	11.8Lowest	12.8Highest
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.