What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Harvard has the most people working from home (44.8%).

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	Harvard
People
Population	22,233Highest	6,927Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.8±2.6Lowest 7% above U.S.	44.1±4.7Highest 13% above U.S.
	Harvard 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%	21.1%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Harvard 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%	16.3%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Smithfield and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	62%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	16.7%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,077±$8kLowest 26% above U.S.	$213,996±$24kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$446,400±$12kLowest 34% above U.S.	$833,600±$54kHighest 151% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,016±$241Lowest 28% below U.S.	$1,321±$424Highest 7% below U.S.
	Harvard and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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%±17.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	72.5%±51.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Harvard and Smithfield 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%	4.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	89.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.
Work from home	14%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	44.8%±6.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#8 of 38 in RI	#12 of 282 in MA
School district	Smithfield	Harvard
High school in town	Smithfield High School	The Bromfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.8Highest	11.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	12 photos →

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.