What stands out worked out from the figures below

Smithfield has the shortest commute (25 min average).

Oxford has the highest household income ($129k).

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	Oxford
People
Population	22,233Highest	12,991Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.2% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	41.8±2.6Lowest 7% above U.S.	45.2±5.7Highest 16% above U.S.
	Oxford 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%	21.3%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Oxford 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 U.S.: 17.2%	22.9%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Oxford 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 U.S.: 35.7%	46.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	16.7%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,077±$8kLowest 26% above U.S.	$128,953±$23kHighest 60% above U.S.
	Oxford 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 34% above U.S.	$472,400±$20kHighest 42% above U.S.
	Oxford 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 28% below U.S.	$1,415±$87Highest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,207Lowest 67% above U.S.	$6,442Highest 107% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.1%±17.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	23.3%±15.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	6.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.
Work from home	14%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14.4%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Oxford and Smithfield 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	#78 of 149 in CT
School district	Smithfield	Oxford School District
High school in town	Smithfield High School	Oxford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.8Highest	10.1Lowest
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.