What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Montville has the most affordable homes ($286k 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	Montville
People
Population	22,233Highest	17,950Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.2% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	41.8±2.6Lowest 7% above U.S.	42.8±4.1Highest 10% above U.S.
	Montville 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%	18.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Montville 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%	17%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Smithfield and Montville 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%	25.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	16.7%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	6%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,077±$8kHighest 26% above U.S.	$96,454±$11kLowest 19% above U.S.
	Smithfield and Montville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$446,400±$12kHighest 34% above U.S.	$285,600±$13kLowest 14% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,016±$241Lowest 28% below U.S.	$1,187±$99Highest 16% below U.S.
	Montville 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.	$4,565Lowest 46% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.1%±17.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	41.4%±8.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Smithfield and Montville 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%	7.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	81.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.	25 minHighest 4% below U.S.
Work from home	14%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	5.5%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#8 of 38 in RI	#95 of 149 in CT
School district	Smithfield	Montville School District
High school in town	Smithfield High School	Montville High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.8Highest	9.2Lowest
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.