What stands out worked out from the figures below

Smithfield has the highest household income ($102k).

Gardner has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.2%).

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	Gardner
People
Population	22,233Highest	21,148Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.8±2.6Lowest 7% above U.S.	43.7±2.3Highest 12% above U.S.
	Gardner 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%	18.3%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Gardner and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.6%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Smithfield and Gardner 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%	23.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	16.7%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.6%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,077±$8kHighest 26% above U.S.	$67,518±$8kLowest 16% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$446,400±$12kHighest 34% above U.S.	$301,600±$20kLowest 9% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,016±$241Lowest 28% below U.S.	$1,109±$51Highest 22% below U.S.
	Gardner and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,207Highest 67% above U.S.	$4,150Lowest 33% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.1%±17.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	49.7%±8.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Smithfield and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1954Lowest 26 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.
Work from home	14%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.3%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Smithfield and Gardner 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	#8 of 38 in RI	#273 of 282 in MA
School district	Smithfield	Gardner
High school in town	Smithfield High School	Gardner High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.8Lowest	13.5Highest
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.