What stands out worked out from the figures below

Smithfield has the most homeowners (81.6%).

Lincoln has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.7%).

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	Lincoln
People
Population	22,233Lowest	22,864Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.2%Lowest RI: +4.3%	+6.7%Highest RI: +4.3%
Median age	41.8±2.6Lowest about the RI average	43.7±2.2Highest 8% above RI
	Lincoln 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%	21.5%±3Highest RI: 18.8%
	Lincoln 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%	24%±2.7Highest RI: 18.7%
	Lincoln 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%Lowest RI: 37.7%	45.9%Highest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	16.7%±0.9Highest RI: 8.3%	5.8%±1.8Lowest RI: 8.3%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,077±$8kLowest 16% above RI	$104,821±$15kHighest 19% above RI
	Lincoln and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$446,400±$12kLowest 10% above RI	$450,600±$17kHighest 11% above RI
	Lincoln and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,016±$241Lowest 24% below RI	$1,468±$152Highest 9% above RI
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,207Highest 6% above RI	$4,751Lowest 3% below RI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.1%±17.7Highest RI: 48%	40.4%±9.8Lowest RI: 48%
	Smithfield and Lincoln 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%	7.4%Highest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.6%Highest RI: 63.6%	72.1%Lowest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 14 yrs newer than RI	1970Lowest 8 yrs newer than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 4% below RI	24 minLowest 5% below RI
Work from home	14%±3.1Highest RI: 13%	13.3%±3.4Lowest RI: 13%
	Smithfield and Lincoln 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	#21 of 38 in RI
School district	Smithfield	Davies Career and Tech · Blackstone Valley Prep A RI Mayoral Academy
High school in town	Smithfield High School	Lincoln Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.8Lowest	14.7Highest
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.