What stands out worked out from the figures below

Smithfield has the most people working from home (14%).

Johnston has the most affordable homes ($356k median).

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	Johnston
People
Population	22,233Lowest	29,835Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.2%Highest RI: +4.3%	+2.8%Lowest RI: +4.3%
Median age	41.8±2.6Lowest about the RI average	44.5±2.5Highest 10% above RI
	Johnston 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 RI: 18.8%	17.5%±2.4Highest RI: 18.8%
	Johnston and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.1%±2.1Lowest RI: 18.7%	22.1%±2.6Highest RI: 18.7%
	Johnston and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40%Highest RI: 37.7%	28.9%Lowest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	16.7%±0.9Highest RI: 8.3%	6.1%±1.6Lowest RI: 8.3%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,077±$8kHighest 16% above RI	$91,866±$6kLowest 5% above RI
	Smithfield and Johnston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$446,400±$12kHighest 10% above RI	$355,500±$13kLowest 12% below RI
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,016±$241Lowest 24% below RI	$1,275±$132Highest 5% below RI
	Johnston and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,207Highest 6% above RI	$4,614Lowest 6% below RI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.1%±17.7Highest RI: 48%	38.1%±8.7Lowest RI: 48%
	Smithfield and Johnston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.2%Lowest RI: 11.2%	7.9%Highest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.6%Highest RI: 63.6%	75.9%Lowest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 14 yrs newer than RI	1968Lowest 6 yrs newer than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 4% below RI	24 minLowest 7% below RI
Work from home	14%±3.1Highest RI: 13%	9.9%±2.3Lowest RI: 13%
	Smithfield and Johnston 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	#32 of 38 in RI
School district	Smithfield	Johnston
High school in town	Smithfield High School	Johnston Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.8Highest	10.3Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.